The Perfect Mistake
by percabeth777
Summary: Percy and Annabeth are both settled into their new lives in New When a blizzard forces Annabeth to stay at Percy's for the holidays, everything is perfect until problems start Post-TLO,
1. Carefree Nights and Beginning Snowflakes

**Greetings, fellow members of Fanficton! Welcome to a brand new co-written fic by ShadowPalace and Percabeth777. We are really excited to be co-writing, and we hope that it helps with the wait for The Lost Hero coming out in October. :D**

**Please enjoy! **

**Set post TLO. Percy's POV**

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"_I wasn't knocked out or anything, though, because I remember looking up from the floor and seeing them both go out the door and shut it," _Annabeth read.

Wind from outside came towards the window, making a creaking sound, and I tried my best to focus on Annabeth's voice as she read, "_Then I stayed on the floor a fairly long time, sort of the way I did with Stradlater." _There was a brief pause before Annabeth said, "…Percy?"

"Hmm?" I answered, feeling my consciousness quickly slipping away from my grasp.

"_Percy!"_ I heard Annabeth shout before she smacked me in the arm with my copy of _The Catcher in the Rye_. "If you're going to continually fall asleep while I read to you, then I'm not going to bother anymore."

"No!" I said, lifting my head out of her lap where it had been resting. I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, "If you don't read to me, how do you expect me to pass English?"

Ever since September, every time Annabeth and I did homework together, she'd read whatever book I was assigned to read for English class aloud to me. Even though she wouldn't admit it, I knew the only reason she read to me was because it got us done with homework faster and gave us more time to hook up, not that I was complaining or anything. My dyslexia forced me to read at a grand speed of five minutes per page, and so it was no question that the only reason I had a B- in English was because Annabeth had been helping me out.

"How do you expect to pass English when you're asleep while I'm reading?" she retorted, setting the book down beside her on the bed.

"Who said I was sleeping?" I said, trying to fight back a yawn. I gave Annabeth the best innocent look I could pull off. "I was merely resting my eyes, Annabeth. I swear."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, and got off the bed. "Yeah, I'm sure you were, Percy."

"I was!" I insisted, silently cursing the fact that my little dip in the River Styx last summer caused me to need more sleep than I used to.

Annabeth crouched on the ground and began shoving her textbooks into her backpack.

"You're leaving?" I asked, jumping off the bed so I was beside her. "Come on, Annabeth, I'm sorry. Are you leaving because I fell asleep? I promise it won't happen again-"

Annabeth looked at me, and I caught her smiling. "No, Seaweed Brain, I'm not leaving because you fell asleep," she said, touching my arm. "It's almost 8:30." She glanced over my shoulder and gestured the alarm clock sitting on my bedside table. "Tomorrow's the last day before Winter Break, and my teachers decided it would be a great chance to cram as many tests and quizzes as they possibly can into one day."

"Fine," I said, grabbing the backpack from her hands. "Study here the way we always do."

"Percy," she shook her head, "these last few tests are really important, and I can't focus when you're here."

"I'll be quiet," I promised, "I'll leave you completely alone-"

Annabeth bit her lip. "It's not just your talking, _Seaweed Brain,_ it's your entire presence…it's just - it's distracting," she explained.

"Alright, fine," I said, giving up and handing her backpack back. "But I'll see you tomorrow, right? We can finally lay back and enjoy the vacation."

She pulled her navy blue sweatshirt over her head, and pulled her hair out so that her golden curls fell perfectly over her shoulders. Annabeth shook her head. "You know I can't come over tomorrow, Percy. I have to pack."

A few weeks ago, Annabeth's dad asked her to visit him in San Francisco for Christmas vacation. As much as I wanted her to stay here with me in New York, she insisted that she had to see him. Ever since, I've been desperately trying to get her to change her mind.

After she reminded me for the millionth time that she would call me every day and be back before the last few days of break ended, I finally realized that it would be good for her. Seeing her family again and getting some bonding time with her father was exactly what she needed.

I sighed. "Okay, fine, but what in Hades am I supposed to do without you for three weeks?" We had gone through this conversation just about a thousand times already and I expected Annabeth to roll her eyes and tell me that I wasn't going to die without seeing her for three weeks. But, as of right now, that's how I felt.

"Well," Annabeth said, surprising me when she walked over to me so our bodies were nearly touching, "you can think about this."

"Think about what -" I began saying, but I trailed off and realized that she had leaned forward and placed her lips on mine. I mean, sure, we had gone from being sprawled out on the bed just studying to making out plenty of times before, but this felt like something completely different.

It was almost like the best kiss ever, and that's really saying something, considering the fact that we'd had some pretty amazing kisses before. I was still trying to process how we had suddenly gone from her reading to me and doing homework to us kissing.

I could slowly feel Annabeth drawing away, and I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled back towards me. She didn't resist.

After a few minutes of an _absolutely mind blowing _make out session, Annabeth pulled away abruptly. It was like she suddenly remembered where she was and realized that she had been kissing me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Um… it's nothing," Annabeth said, hesitantly. She pulled away from my grasp, and I let her go. "I really should get going."

"I don't think anyone's going to be able to go anywhere," a voice said. I turned towards the doorway and found my mom standing there. I realized that I hadn't even heard her walk up.

"Mom?" I asked surprised. "What are you doing back so early?" She was supposed to be out with Paul at some benefit thing tonight. They had said that they weren't going to be back until around midnight, but the clock read that it was only near nine.

"Haven't you looked outside?" my mom asked, pointing to the window by my bed. "There's practically a blizzard out there. Paul and I decided to turn around and drive back home because we didn't want to get stuck out there. The streets are jammed."

Annabeth walked over to the window, cupping her hands on the glass to peer outside. I followed her and pressed my nose against the window, realizing how cold it was. My mom was right – it was snowing like crazy, and I had never seen a blizzard quite like this one in New York before. The flakes were thick and huge, and it looked as if there was already three feet of snow down below on the ground.

"I should probably go now before it gets any worse," Annabeth said, staring out through the side of the widow where our balcony could be seen in the corner. It was barely visible through the layers of snow doubled on it.

Annabeth quickly shoved her cell phone and a few miscellaneous papers that were lying on the floor into her backpack and began to make her way out towards the corridor.

"Annabeth, sweetie, it's not safe out there," my mom told her, following her into our living room. "They've already recorded a huge number of accidents within the past couple hours due to the snow. I can't let you out in this weather, honey."

Annabeth looked uncertain. "I know, but I've really got to get going. I have three tests tomorrow, Mrs. Jackson, and I can't miss them -"

"You won't even be able to make it out two feet in this storm, Annabeth," my mom explained.

"But, I have to get to my dorm," Annabeth persisted. "If I miss curfew -"

"Don't worry about it," my mom told her. "I'll call your school to let them know you're here. I'm sure they'll understand. I mean, they can't force you to come back in this weather - it's not safe."

"It's only a day before break, anyway," I reminded her, noticing that she was honestly getting worried.

Annabeth sighed. "Well, as long as you call, I guess I could wait a couple of hours for it to clear…"

My mom glanced out towards the bay window in our living room, slowly shaking her head. "I'm sorry, honey, but I don't think you'll be able to get out of here until the morning. Since the storm was so unexpected, the city didn't prepare. They didn't put salt out on the sidewalks or anything - it's a mess outside. It's going to take them some time to clear out all this snow," my mom explained. "I think you'll have to spend the night here."

Annabeth's hands flew straight to her neck, where she fingered the beads around her camp necklace. "Spend the night?" Annabeth repeated, her voice quiet.

"I know it's inconvenient -" my mom started, before Annabeth interrupted.

I watched her tighten her fingers around the strap of her backpack. "I can't possibly sleepover. I mean… I don't even have my clothes."

I could tell she was trying to come up with reasons for why she wouldn't be able to sleepover, and I didn't quite understand it. I mean, sure, it would've been something new to have my girlfriend spending the night over for the first time, but I didn't get why Annabeth wasn't too happy about the idea. How often do parents suggest that you have your girlfriend sleepover, anyway? And besides, when we went on quests we slept next to each other. We weren't dating then, but still, I couldn't figure out why this whole situation was so terrible.

My mom glanced at me. "I'm sure that Percy could lend you a t-shirt and pajamas to sleep in," she said. "And, if you'd prefer, you can always borrow some of my clothes."

"But, I can't -" Annabeth started again, just to stop mid-sentence. She looked between my mom and me and finally dropped her bag in defeat. "I mean… okay, that's fine. You're probably right, anyway."

My mom smiled, walking over to put her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Just tell me if you need anything."

I watched Annabeth return the smile as best as she could. "Alright. Thank you so much for letting me stay here tonight, Mrs. Jackson."

"Percy, you wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch tonight, right?" Mom asked, and even though she posed it in the form of a question, I could hear the demand in her voice.

"Yeah, of course," I managed to say, already feeling my muscles aching in anticipation of spending a night on the uncomfortably hard and lumpy living room couch. I pushed those thoughts away quickly, though, remembering that having Annabeth sleepover was honestly worth it.

Once my mom had gotten Annabeth's school's telephone number and left the room to go make the phone call to her boarding school, I walked over to Annabeth. I took her hand in mine and gripped her fingers. "This'll be fun."

"Yeah," Annabeth said, but I could tell that she was distracted, "I just hope I don't get in trouble at school, you know?"

"You won't," I reassured her. "My mom's calling, and I mean… what's the worst they can do? They can't expel you for sleeping over because of the weather."

"I guess you're right…" Annabeth said, trailing off.

I squeezed her hand, getting her attention. "Everything will be fine. Besides, it's not going to hurt if we get to spend a little more time before you leave tomorrow."

Annabeth sighed, and I felt her relax. She looked at me, giving me a small smile, but I could tell that there was something she wasn't telling me; something was bothering her. "I hope you're right, Seaweed Brain."

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	2. Early Mornings and Unexpected Visitors

**Welcome back to another chapter! Thanks so much for all the feedback, because we truly appreciate it. Not too much to say, except please enjoy! :)**

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I woke up slowly to the sound of Annabeth's voice.

"Percy," I heard her whisper, shaking me gently. "Percy! C'mon, wake up!"

I groaned, turning over on my stomach. I felt like I wanted to click the off switch on the small amount of sunlight pouring in from the window across from me.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered just a little bit louder. When I still didn't move, she did exactly what I expected. Even though there were times when Annabeth enjoyed the quiet time she would get from my sporadic naps during the day, she had also developed a foolproof method to wake me up.

I could feel her fingers trace from the back of my neck down my spine. When she reached the spot just down above my waist at very arch of my back - my personal Achilles heel; the spot only Annabeth knew about - a cold shiver shot through my body and her touch created a sensation that was strong enough to get me to open my eyes.

An image of Annabeth hovering above me, a small smile plastered onto her lips, slowly focused into view.

"What time is it?" I groaned again, rubbing my eyes. The memories of last night came flooding back into my head and I remembered about the crazy blizzard that struck New York and how Annabeth had slept over.

"Way too late for you to still be in bed, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, pulling off the single blanket that covered me.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly in _bed_," I told her, referring to the uncomfortable, lumpy living room couch I had spent the night on.

Annabeth crouched down on the floor so she was at my level. "I'm sorry," she said, biting her lip. "I feel bad about stealing your room."

As I looked at Annabeth wearing one of my extra large t-shirts and my favorite pair of old sweats, the ache in my body from sleeping on the couch disappeared. I let Annabeth take my hand, pulling me off of the couch.

After breakfast, consisting of cereal and cold milk, when I had fully awakened and regained my senses, Annabeth and I slipped into my room.

"Did you sleep okay?" I asked her.

For a second, a shadow of unease flickered across Annabeth's face as if she suddenly remembered something nerve-racking. She covered it up quickly. "Yeah, I did," she told me, forcing a smile. "Because of all my tests and homework, I haven't been getting full nights of sleep lately. I was finally able to catch up on some much needed sleep."

I nodded, still studying her. "You sure?"

Annabeth stared at me for a second, and I felt like she was debating whether or not she wanted to tell me the truth. She finally exhaled. "It's just… _dreams_."

"Dreams?" I blinked. "Of what?"

It was typical for demigods to have bizarre, terrifying dreams all the time, but ever since the war was officially over, I had finally thought they would leave us alone. I knew for a fact that _I, _at least, hadn't gotten a single one.

I felt like Annabeth was holding her breath as she stared at the floor. Her voice was quiet when she spoke the single name that seemed to remind us of everything we had gone through. "Luke."

"_Luke_?" I repeated, watching her carefully. "Why are you having dreams of him?"

"It's nothing, Percy," Annabeth answered, obviously eager to change the topic. "They're just stupid dreams. It's no big deal."

I kept pressing, but Annabeth shut me up each time.

"I'll tell you about it later, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth told me, silencing me for good. It was clear that she wasn't in the mood to talk about this, at least not right now.

Eventually, I dropped it. As curious as I was about exactly what Annabeth was seeing in her dreams, I knew Luke was still a sensitive topic for her.

The next time I looked over at Annabeth, I caught her staring out the window right next to us. She looked down below at the blocked streets and layers of snow and ice on the sidewalks, and I knew she had a lot of other things on her mind too.

"Hey, don't worry about it," I said, reading her mind. "It'll probably clear up in a few hours."

Annabeth sighed. As much as she wanted to believe it, we both knew the chances of that happening were slim. The sun had hidden behind thick grey clouds and the air was foggy, looking like it would start snowing again any minute. "It's just that I have a flight tomorrow, and I haven't even packed," she told me absently.

The more I looked at her, the more I realized that Annabeth had truly been looking forward to this trip. Her father and stepmother were finally inviting her to spend the holidays with them, and it was a chance for her to be with her family again.

"You'll see them," I promised her. Annabeth gave me a half-hearted smile, and I found myself changing the topic. For a second, it got Annabeth's mind off of it.

As we sat in my room, I realized how amazing it felt to just be talking to her without having to worry about anything. With the war going on last summer, and school and work taking over our lives these past few months, I couldn't remember that last time Annabeth and I had just taken a breath to sit down with each other. We weren't kissing, but just being with her was good enough for me.

The quiet time alone with my girlfriend didn't last as long as I was hoping it would, though. There was suddenly a knock at my bedroom door.

Paul walked in, the phone receiver glued to his ear. "Hmm, I see," he was saying to the person on the other line. "So, you're sure there aren't any more flights?"

That got Annabeth's attention, and we followed Paul back into the living room. After a few more words were exchanged over the phone, Paul said "Thank you," and hung up.

Annabeth was already fingering her camp necklace, and my mom had walked into the living room to see what was going on.

"That was the airline," Paul told Annabeth.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, rushing her words. "I still have a flight tomorrow, right?"

"I'm sorry, Annabeth," Paul said. "The weather conditions are really bad. They had to cancel the flight."

"_What_?" Annabeth spat. "But… but, that can't happen! Don't they realize people _need_ to go places?"

"I'm sorry, sweet heart," my mom chimed in, trying to comfort her. However, it seemed like nothing could have made the whole situation less devastating.

Annabeth exhaled in frustration. "Can't they at least reschedule the flight for a day or two later?" she argued. "I mean, the weather can't be _that_ bad, right?"

"Actually, I've been watching the news," mom said, "and the reports say the weather's only going to get much worse before it clears up. It looks like we'll be getting heavy snow throughout Christmas."

Annabeth took a deep breath. I didn't know what was going through her head, but it was like she finally accepted it and made the effort to nod.

"I'll keep calling the airline," Paul reassured her. "I'm sure a flight to San Francisco will pop up soon. Until then, we can wait for the roads to clear and go get your clothes from your dorm so you're all packed up and have clothes to wear while you're staying here."

I knew it wasn't too much to hope for, but Annabeth seemed to smile for my parents' sake. "Okay."

"You should probably call your dad," my mom told her. "He's probably heard about the snow and he'll be wondering if you're okay."

"You're right," Annabeth said softly. She walked across the room and took the phone from Paul.

My parents dispersed around the apartment, and I sat next to Annabeth on the couch as she dialed in her father's phone number.

"Dad?" Annabeth spoke into the receiver. "Yeah… it's me."

I couldn't hear what her dad was saying on the other end, but I listened to Annabeth tell him about the bad weather in New York. Annabeth paused for a long time after she told him her flight had been cancelled, and I could only guess that her father was as disappointed as she was.

After a few more _Yes's_ and _No's_ from Annabeth's side, she seemed to lower her voice. "No, _dad_. I'm at Percy's apartment."

I didn't know what her father was saying, but it got Annabeth annoyed as she stood up. "Where else would I be?" Annabeth whispered into the receiver, almost so I wouldn't hear her. "We're snowed in." There was another pause and Annabeth took a breath. She crossed her free arm over her chest, quietly explaining as she talked into the phone, "We were just _studying_, dad. It's not like I plotted it out so that I'd be here when it started to snow."

For a second, Annabeth stopped talking to look back at me as I sat on the couch staring at her. I could have sworn I saw her cheeks turn red, and I didn't quite understand it. Annabeth gestured to me, and excused herself before she walked into my bedroom, leaving me sitting alone in the living room.

It took all my will power, but I decided that Annabeth probably needed the privacy to speak with her dad alone. After waiting for nearly ten minutes, which seemed way longer with my ADHD acting up, I couldn't stand sitting around anymore. I finally entered my room.

"Alright, dad, _I get it_," Annabeth was saying into the phone. "Yes, I know." There was pause. "Dad, please don't bring that up again! I'm _fine_. You don't have to worry, seriously! I can make my own decisions and take care of myself."

I waited unsurely by the door, and Annabeth finished up her good bye. "Alright, I promise. I miss you, too." She sat down on the edge of my bed. "Okay. I love you, too. Bye."

Once she had hung up, Annabeth brushed the hair out of her face. "Sorry," she mumbled to me, "I didn't mean to take that long."

"It's okay," I said, walking closer to her so that I stood in front of her. "Is everything… um, is everything okay with you and your dad?"

Annabeth looked embarrassed again. "Yeah," she said quickly. She turned her head, avoiding looking me in the eyes. "He was just worried about how I would get back home."

I knew Annabeth well enough to know that she was holding back on something. I shifted uncomfortably on my feet. "Your dad doesn't want you staying here?" I found myself asking her. "Because, Annabeth, you can tell me if -"

"No, Percy, it's not like that," she promised, fidgeting around in her seat on my bed. "He's really grateful that your parents are letting me stay. It's just - it's something else…" She trailed off, and seeing her sudden discomfort and also acknowledging the fact that she had just found out her flight was cancelled, I let it go.

"I'm sorry," I told her, and she finally met my eyes. "About the flight, I mean."

She nodded slowly, and I knew that just saying words wasn't going to make it any better. I took Annabeth's hand in mine. "Hey," I said trying to cheer her up. "Even though you're not with your family, at least you're here with me and my parents instead of alone at your dorm, right?"

Annabeth gave me forced smile. "I guess you're right."

"You _are_ happy to be here, right?" I asked, studying her.

Annabeth looked me right in the eyes for real this time. "I _am_," she told me, and I could tell that she wasn't lying this time. I reached forward and brushed a curly lock of hair behind her ear and as a result it got her to smile. She slid her fingers inbetween mine, taking a breath. "It'll be nice spending the break with your family, Seaweed Brain."

I leaned forward to kiss her, but right before our lips touched, Annabeth suddenly turned her head. I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Annabeth stood up immediately, separating herself from me. She squirmed uncomfortably. "Nothing," she said, walking towards the door of my bedroom. "Um… Percy, why don't we just go watch TV or something like that?"

I stared at her trying to figure out what was wrong. Ever since we woke up, I couldn't help but feel like Annabeth had been acting so strangely. Before I could say anything to her about it, an all too familiar presence filled the room. I turned around just in time to see a dark shadowy figure zoom through the room and fill the air. Right in front of my eyes, the shadows transformed into an old friend.

I sighed. "Nico."

Nico slowly came into full view, just as the shadows surrounding him vanished. He wore what I liked to call his "uniform" - his regular pair of black jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and his signature ring with a skull on his middle finger. He looked pretty much the same every time I saw him, except this time in particular his onyx hair fell onto his face and covered his eyes in a very disconcerting way. It was as if he hadn't been taking care of himself lately.

"Bad timing?" he asked dully, obviously catching the glare I was giving him.

"You've gotta stop showing up in my apartment through that shadow travel thing!" I told him. "What if I'm changing my clothes or… or doing something when you decide to drop by!" We had already gone through this conversation before, but Nico wasn't going to listen. He pretty much dropped by whenever he felt like it. "The least you could do is knock on the front door, or _something._"

These past few months, Nico had been randomly appearing pretty much all over the place while staying at camp, visiting the Underworld from time to time, and also showing up at my place every now and then. After months of Nico arbitrarily showing up at family dinners, I had gotten used to it.

"Hi Nico," Annabeth said, looking over me to smile at him.

He brushed the messy hair out of his eyes, realizing she was in the room for the first time. I explained how we were snowed in so he'd be seeing her here a lot more when he stopped by, but Nico hardly seemed to care.

"Annabeth?" my mom called from the kitchen. "Could you give me a hand with something?"

"I'm going to go help," Annabeth told us, pointing towards the door to the kitchen. She gave Nico one last smile before disappearing from the room. After she left, I sighed, and turned towards Nico. "What's up?"

"Not much," Nico grumbled, and I noticed he was in a much worse mood than he usually was in. Maybe even worse than when he thought I killed Bianca, and that's saying something. "I just came to tell you that there's been some trouble in the Underworld."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

Nico shrugged. "I'm not sure just yet. But dad is getting angry about something. He told me that he might send monsters out here."

"Great," I mumbled, "that's exactly what I wanted to hear today." Between Annabeth's dreams and depression over her flight and Nico's less than chipper mood, my first day of winter vacation wasn't really off to an excellent start.

Nico nodded carelessly. "I'll let you if I find out more info or if anything else happens."

"Thanks."

Before he could position himself in the corner of my room to make an exit, I stopped him.

"What?" Nico asked, annoyed.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why are you pissed?"

"I'm not pissed," he stated.

Although we demigod dudes dealt with a lot more problems than your typical teenage male, some problems stayed the same among us all. And if I knew men at all, one issue hit us the hardest: _girls_. "What's her name?" I asked him.

Nico looked at me like I had just chewed on a shoe. "What are you talking about?"

"Look," I told him, "you can talk to me. If there's some girl on your mind, then tell me."

Nico didn't answer as he stared out towards the door, and I had a feeling he was debating on whether or not he wanted to come clean about something.

"You should actually try making a conversation with her, for once," I continued. "You won't know if she likes you unless you talk to her. Do you know anything about what she likes? Is she a demigod?"

Nico slowly focused back on me. He met my eyes for a second, and I couldn't help but notice how tired and stressed they looked. For a second, I wondered exactly how much sleep he was losing over whatever girl he had been thinking about. "Thanks for the advice," Nico said, brushing me off – just like I had expected, "but it's not that simple."

Before I could say anything else to stop him, Nico had already willed his power and disappeared in a flicker of a shadow.

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	3. Familiar Friends and Horrendous Games

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"I was watching that!" I complained as Annabeth finally managed to snatch the remote control out of my hands.

"You've been watching that for the last hour, Percy," she told me, leaning back into the couch and flipping through the channels. "It's my turn to hog the remote."

We were lounging on the living room couch - recently known as my bed - watching TV. I was just about to make another pitiful attempt at getting Annabeth to put the previous show back on when the phone rang.

"Brrrrring! Brrrrring!"

"Percy," I heard mom call from the kitchen, "could you get that, please?"

"Okay," I replied, sighing and giving up on fighting for the remote. Annabeth handed me the cordless phone that had been resting on the coffee table beside her. I answered it. "Hello?"

"Percy! Is that you?" a familiar voice said. "It's Rachel."

"Oh," I said, surprised. Even though Rachel and I did our best to talk to each other over the phone, we rarely ever got the chance to. Between busy schedules and Clarion Academy's strict rules about cell phones, we were lucky if we got to speak to each other on the phone even once a month. It was nice to finally hear from her again and I leaned forward in my seat. "Hey! How's everything?"

"It's fine. Um… Percy," Rachel replied, nervously, "I need to talk to you about something."

I could hear loud chatter in the background. Rachel probably shifted around to get away from the noise, and once I heard her steady the phone, I asked, "About what? Is everything alright?"

Annabeth glanced at me for a second, taking her attention away from the program she was watching. She turned down the volume of the TV, and I tried to focus on Rachel's voice that sounded so far away.

"I've been seeing monsters here at Clarion," Rachel explained. She had seemed shaky and scared during the entire duration of the phone call, and now I understood why.

"Monsters?" I repeated. Annabeth shot me questioning look from her side of the couch. I asked, "How many?"

"Well, I've only _seen_one," Rachel clarified, "but everything here feels weird all of a sudden, Percy. I didn't see a single monster the entire year, and then all of a sudden this gorgon shows up in my US history class."

My mind flashed back to what Nico had said about there being trouble in the Underworld and how Hades might be sending out more monsters. I trailed off thinking that maybe Rachel's sudden monster attacks had something to do with all that. But, then I focused, suddenly remembering another concern entering my mind. "You're okay, right?" I asked, suddenly realizing that she could be sitting in her schools nurse's office, covered in bruises and bandages.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine," she said, clearing her voice and reminding me of her brave and confident attitude that I was used to. "I used that dagger Chiron gave me last summer to stab it before it could do anything too terrible," Rachel told me, bitterly. "Just because I'm mortal doesn't mean I'm completely inept, Percy."

"I didn't mean that!" I insisted. "Just… just let me know if you spot another monster at your school, alright? I'll try to find out what exactly is going on."

"Will do," Rachel said. More chattering clogged up the phone's connection, and Rachel spoke loudly over the noise. "Listen, Percy, I really should go. The girls in my dorm are throwing some sort of event that they're forcing me to go to. I just wanted to let you know about the monsters."

"Yeah, of course," I replied. "Well, talk to you soon, I guess."

"Mm hmm, talk to you soon." And with that, Rachel hung up.

"Who was that?" Annabeth asked, once I set the phone down. Her eyes stayed on me until I spoke.

"Rachel," I told her. "She said she saw a monster at Clarion."

"A monster?" Annabeth repeated. "That's really strange, Percy. Monsters don't usually go after the oracle…Rachel doesn't even have the same scent we half-bloods do."

I nodded, thinking about what she had just said. "I wonder if it has anything to do with what's going on in the Underworld."

Annabeth stared ahead, processing the new information. Before she could say anything about it, my mom walked into the room carrying a big _Scrabble_board.

"It's board game night!" my mom announced, smiling and obviously unaware of the tension that had filled the room since the phone call. She set the board down on the table.

"Not again," I groaned. In attempt to bond the family together, my mom and Paul had established board game night for twice a month. Trying to get out of it was impossible, and it was even more annoying than when Chiron made me clean up after Mrs. O'Leary, which is really saying something. "Don't you think we're all a little too old for this?" I complained.

My mom shot me a stern glare. Before she could go on about how important it was for us to spend time together as a family, I heard Annabeth laugh next to me. "Come on, Seaweed Brain," she said, clearly enjoying the idea of beating me in a game I had no chance of winning. "It won't kill you to play just for a little while."

"Fine," I mumbled, sighing. I couldn't help but stubbornly add in, "Only because you're here."

Annabeth smiled in success, and my mom told us to set up the board while she went to go get Paul.

Once she had left the room, Annabeth turned to me. "I love _Scrabble._"

"Figures," I muttered to myself, cursing my dyslexia and my inability to spell in general. Of all the games we played, _Scrabble_ by far was the worst – it forced me to think. And on top of that, Annabeth was going to be there to completely defeat me throughout the entire game.

"Oh, c'mon, it'll be fun," Annabeth said, a devilish smile playing on her lips.

"It'll be fun for someone who's a Wise Girl like you," I said, sadly, "not a Seaweed Brain like me."

Turns out, I was right. Throughout the entire game, Annabeth continued to make words that I'd never even _heard_of before, like: _bulwark_, _cernuous_, and _obloquy_, sweeping up hundreds of points along the way. Paul was right at her tail (being an English teacher helping kids prepare for the SAT vocabulary test at least put him on the same level as Annabeth), less than fifteen points behind her. Mom was about 150 points behind Paul, and I was about 150 points behind her with my most impressive word being _eyelash_(which earned me a smirk from Annabeth).

After about two hours of continuous torture of trying to spell out words and trying to understand what some of the longer, larger ones meant, Annabeth and my parents finally seemed to have mercy on me. Annabeth proudly accepted her victory and we wrapped up the game.

"You know," Annabeth said, once we had untangled ourselves from my parents and lay sprawled out on my bedroom floor. "You're parents are really fun."

"Sure," I said, trying not to sound bitter. "If one hundred and twenty minutes of endless _Scrabble_ is your idea of fun."

Annabeth ignored my comment. I had a feeling she was really thinking when she told me, "You're mom's really lucky that she found Paul – he's such a nice guy."

I laughed. "Pretty much anyone _normal_seems amazing after living with Gabe for a bunch of years."

"Well, yeah," she reasoned, "but Paul seems especially nice and friendly."

I stared at my collection of glow-in-the-dark stars along my ceiling from when I was ten years old. "You just like him because he's one of the few people on this planet who can keep up with you in _Scrabble._"

"No, it's not that," Annabeth said, touching my foot with her own on the floor. "Don't you like him? I thought you told me you were happy that your mom was with him."

"Yes, but…" I started. This whole entire conversation was slowly reminding me of something I'd been trying to bury in my mind for a long time and not think about.

"But, _what_?" Annabeth pressed, turning on her side to face me.

I looked at Annabeth. If I was going to talk to anyone about this, it was going to be her. "Paul and my mom want to have…" I began to explain, the words sounding sour on my tongue. "They want to have a baby."

Annabeth kept her eyes on me for a long time and she seemed to notice my expression. She frowned, "And that's so terrible because…?"

"Were _you_thrilled when your dad and step-mom had Matthew and Bobby?" I asked. When I mentioned her dad, Annabeth instantly stood up as if she suddenly remembered something. She uncomfortably walked towards the window, looking at the snow still falling heavily.

I wrote off her awkwardness as the lingering traces of her uneasy relationship with her family back home. I felt bad for bringing up a sensitive issue with her, but Annabeth seemed to have something else on her mind.

She didn't answer my question; instead, she asked, "Have you talked to them about it?"

"Not really," I said honestly. "They're so happy and excited about it, I don't want to… I don't want to make them feel bad. My mom has done so much for me over the years, you know? I just don't want to interfere with something that she finally _wants_."

Annabeth glanced back, for a second. She gave me a small smile, studying my face. "You're mom's lucky to have you," she told me quietly.

When Annabeth fixed her eyes back towards the window, I could see a blurry image of her reflection in the frost-covered window. I didn't know what she was really thinking about, but at the moment she looked like she had a million things on her mind.

I was debating on whether or not I should have asked her about it, but then she spoke pulling me out of my thoughts. "Percy?"

"Hmm?"

"When do you think the storm is going to clear up? Honestly."

"Honestly?" I said, walking over so I was standing behind her as she pressed against the cold window. "I have no clue."

She turned her body around fully, meeting my eyes. I suddenly felt like my head was spinning, realizing how close she was to me. The smell of cinnamon rolls surrounded her, lingering from helping my mom with baking earlier, and her lips looked pinker than ever.

I had to use all my willpower to focus back on what she was saying about the storm.

"Don't worry," I found myself telling her. "I promise that you'll see your family again."

"Don't promise me that, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth told me seriously.

As I really looked at her, I finally understood that even though Annabeth staying here with us was making my winter vacation's one of the best, I knew that I couldn't be selfish.

"Alright," I said, taking a breath, "but, I _can_ promise you that until the storm clears up - and it _will_ clear up - I'm going to make this the best winter vacation you've ever had."

Annabeth smiled slowly. Her gray eyes locked into mine and I felt like we just stood there for hours, with our bodies touching and the thick, white snow swirling down onto the streets of New York in the window right behind her. I felt like I was in a trance all over again – this was the stuff they made movies about.

Annabeth slowly leaned forward, barely allowing her lips to touch mine. But, before I could even react, she opened her eyes again and if could see her face at all in the dim light, I could have swore that she almost looked startled.

"Um," Annabeth said, gently pushing me away from her. She turned her head to stare at the door. "It's really late, Percy. Don't you think we should go to sleep?"

I stared at her. "It's barely 10:30."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, collecting herself. "Well, I didn't sleep-in till noon today like you did, did I?"

After debating with each other for a few minutes, Annabeth finally managed to push me out of my room. I finally sighed, "Good Night."

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	4. Blissful Breakfast and Depressing News

**Where do I begin with this? *takes deep breath* Firstly, on behalf of ShadowPalace and I, we sincerely apologize for disappearing for such a long time period. We weren't expecting our school loads to hit us as hard as they did and we've been buried with work for the past few months. **

**With that being said, we haven't forgotten this story. Thanks so much for all the reviews giving feedback or asking for updates, because they truly incline us to write. Each and every review is appreciated and makes us smile. No amount of apology can take away from the time that has passed, but starting now we hope to get this story back on track. While ShadowPalace balances out a few things with her schedule, I'll be taking over all the writing for the next couple of chapters.**

**Lastly, here's a quick recap for those who've forgotten: A snow storm causes Annabeth to stay over at Percy's apartment for Winter Break as they are snowed in and her flight to visit her father is cancelled. Annabeth's been hiding something, Rachel has informed Percy that monsters are appearing at her boarding school, and Nico's behavior has been stranger than ever- with Percy suspecting him for having girl troubles- as Nico informs them about chaos in the Underworld. **

**Now, without further ado, here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

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Cold air chilled the apartment, and the smell of blueberry pancakes and maple syrup wafted through the corridor as I walked towards my room.

It was odd for Annabeth to still be sleeping, especially since I couldn't remember a single time when I had been up before her. She was the one who would usually be hovering over me and trying to get _me_ up in the mornings. Annabeth always seemed to have at least three projects completed before I had even gotten up, and so it surprised me that I was finally ahead of her for once.

I knocked on the door a few times, but found myself slowly stepping inside as quietly as I could when Annabeth didn't respond.

Annabeth lay on the bed, the covers tucked in tightly around her. She looked like she was in perfectly deep sleep until I got closer to her. When I stood just a few feet away, I could see the beads of cold sweat that seemed to trace her forehead. From the way her hands were fastened tightly around my comforter, she looked as if she was dreaming about being pushed right off of the Empire State Building.

"Annabeth," I said, softly.

For a second, she shifted, turning her head and closing her eyes tighter. She was mumbling something, which made me nervous considering the fact that Annabeth almost never talked in her sleep.

"Annabeth," I repeated, unsurely stepping forward to make out her incoherent murmurs.

I didn't understand what she was saying, except for one word - the one name that was clear on her tongue. She was mumbling "_Luke_".

I reached forward, touching her arm. "Annabeth," I said louder.

She woke up.

Her gray eyes looked startled and she immediately took in a deep breath, bolting upright.

"Hey," I sat down beside her on the edge of my mattress. "It's alright," I told her, waiting for her to regain her senses. "You were having another bad dream."

Annabeth seemed to focus on me. "What time is it?"

I glanced at the clock, telling her it was morning and about how my mom had prepared breakfast for us this morning. Her fingers crept to find mine, and for a second I held her hand. Annabeth calmed down slowly, and I had a feeling she was burying all of her thoughts in the very back of her mind.

"You okay?" I asked, once she had caught her breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told me, fixing her eyes on the floor, "They're just…stupid dreams. I don't even know what they're supposed to mean."

I knew that I shouldn't have asked, but the thought was really starting to poke at me. I made Annabeth meet my eyes, "Tell me what you saw," I said, _"Please_."

For a second, Annabeth looked at me; her eyes were reading my face and making me feel like she was trying to decide whether or not she wanted to trust me with this. She finally exhaled. "I don't know, Percy," Annabeth said, almost frustrated, "It's just the same dream over and over."

"About Luke," I stated. It wasn't a question.

Annabeth stared anywhere but at me. "Yeah," she admitted. "It's strange…in my dreams, it's like he's _reforming_,"

Before I had time to ask what she meant, my mom called from the kitchen and Annabeth seemed to catch herself with what she was saying.

"I better go freshen up," She told me, untangling her fingers from mine and sliding out of bed.

I sighed, knowing that wasn't about to get another word out of her about this. "Alright."

The next time I saw Annabeth was at our dining table as we all sat down to enjoy breakfast. She was smiling again as if she had never been dreaming about the guy who was once like a brother to her - the guy who gave up his life to suppress Kronos soul in Tartarus - just a few months ago. As much as it bothered me that she was seeing visions of Luke coming back to life, I tried to push the thoughts out of my head and think about the good things that were going on – like the fact that Christmas was only a few days away and my girlfriend would be here to celebrate it with me.

Plus, it wasn't everyday that my mom went out of her way to make pancakes and fresh syrup, and so I knew it was a special treat in honor of Annabeth staying with us for the first few days of Winter Vacation. Annabeth seemed to be enjoying, and that took my mind off of everything else going on.

But, right before I could take a bite out of my food, the telephone rang.

I picked up the cordless phone, lying carelessly on the edge of our kitchen counter. It was long distance number, which immediately made me uneasy. "Hello?"

Nothing but static could be heard coming from the other line. After repeating myself a few times, the static finally cleared, and a squeaky voice spoke. "Percy,"

"Rachel?" I asked, frowning. "It that you?"

It was extremely unusual for Rachel to be able to call me twice in the same month, much less call me right the next day.

She seemed to be speaking, but the static enveloped her voice making it impossible to understand her.

"Rachel…I can't hear you."

I realized that the chat on the dining table between Annabeth and my parents had died down, and all three of them sat silently staring at me now.

"Percy," Rachel's voice came through the phone again. "I need to talk to you. Are you there? Percy?"

I found myself walking out of the kitchen, leaving the warm breakfast in front of me to head to my room where I could hear her better.

"I'm right here," I told her. "Rachel, what's going on? Did you see another monster?"

I could barely understand Rachel over the phone's horrible connection, but I slowly made out what she was saying. "Percy, there's been more and more monsters attacks, lately. They're showing up all over the place! I don't- I don't know what to do anymore."

After the war with Kronos, I thought I'd finally be done (at least for a little while) with the demi-god stress, but between Annabeth's nightmares about Luke and this, I could suddenly tell how wrong I had been. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine…but this is all getting really weird, Percy. I don't know how long I'll be able to keep killing them off."

"Just hang in there," I told her. I tried to tell her about the trouble in the Underworld, but Rachel couldn't hear me through the phone's faulty connection.

"Alright, I have to go… my roommate's coming." She informed me, quickly.

"Listen, Rachel…if you can't handle the monsters, call me. Okay?"

"I will. But, Percy-" whatever she was saying got blocked out by the static.

"Just be careful," I spoke over the noise. "Please."

I didn't know if Rachel heard the last part, but after a long pause full of constant buzzing in the phone, there was a click and the phone call ended.

Before I could even begin to process everything that was happening, Annabeth came through the door of my room. She brushed the hair out of her face, looking irritated. "Percy, what's going on?"

I took a breath, telling Annabeth what Rachel had just told me.

"Is she alright?"

"She said she's fine," I nodded absently, unable to ignore the uneasy feeling crawling inside me. "But…she's _mortal_, Annabeth. She hasn't had any practice with killing monsters before."

For a second, Annabeth stood there concerned. I knew she was thinking, but then she seemed to narrow her eyes on me. "So, why is Rachel calling you of all people?"

I read the tone in her voice and found myself immediately getting annoyed. "Are you serious, Annabeth?" I said incredulously, "Her life's in danger and that's the only thing you care about?"

Annabeth sighed, opening her mouth and I didn't know what she would have said, but then suddenly another voice from inside my room spoke. "Bad timing again?"

We both turned out heads to find a familiar figure standing in the corner of my room. His shaggy black hair fell in his eyes and he was dressed in his typical uniform.

Annabeth sighed, "Hi, Nico."

Usually I would have been annoyed that Nico showed up in the middle of breakfast, but this time he looked fully exhausted. It was as if he had just stepped out of a fight straight from the pits of the Underworld.

I found myself saying, "You okay?"

Nico shrugged, barely looking at me. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Did something else happen in the Underworld?" Annabeth asked him.

"No," Nico shook his head. "But, things are getting worse."

When he didn't continue, Annabeth urged him to elaborate. "Worse, _how_?"

"I thought my dad would get over his bad mood in a few days, but he's only getting angrier," Nico told us, but the tone in his voice made me feel like he couldn't have cared less.

Annabeth fingered her camp necklace nervously. "This is bad, _really_ bad," she mumbled. "If Hades keeps sending monster out here it won't be safe anymore."

"It's already not safe anymore for Rachel," I said, feeling even worse about the whole situation than I did before. I was hoping the chaos in the Underworld would blow out in a couple of days, but Nico stopping by to inform us that things were getting worse wasn't exactly the kind of news I had been looking forward to.

Annabeth looked over at me. "Rachel will be fine, Percy."

"Why are you so sure about that?"

"You're not giving her enough credit," she told me. "I mean, if she's nailed Kronos in the eye with a plastic hairbrush in the past, I'm sure she can handle a few extra monsters."

I tried to believe that was true, but the hidden fear in Rachel's voice as she spoke to me seemed to be echoing through my head. Just when I thought that I had finally gotten a good grasp on holding my life together, everything was beginning to fall apart again.

Silence crept through the air until Nico suddenly shifted on his feet as if he couldn't have been more bored with the whole situation.

Annabeth sighed anxiously, "I'm going to go back to the table so your parent's don't get worried, alright?"

I nodded and once Annabeth had left, closing the door behind her, I found myself turning my full attention back over towards Nico. He stood dully, shoving his hands into his pockets. I found myself saying, "You have to stop this."

His eyes fixed on me, a cold look greeting me. "Stop _what,_exactly?"

"Acting this depressed or whatever over a girl," I told him. "Is she even worth it?"

Nico stared at me for a long time before exhaling. He turned his head to look at the frost against my window. "You don't understand anything," He mumbled through his teeth.

"Then explain it to me," I said, hoping he would talk. "What's bothering you?"

Nico met my eyes directly for the first time, and it was easy to tell that he still hadn't caught up on the sleep since the last time he showed up. Red rimmed his eyes and his usually olive skin looked pale. "I can't."

The more I looked at Nico, the more I understood that he wasn't going to spill so easily. I remembered a time nearly a year ago, before Annabeth and I had been going out, when I was just as irritated as Nico was now because I didn't know how to tell Annabeth what I really felt. I wasn't sure what girl was messing with Nico's head enough to drive his mood this far down south, but I knew the feeling. I was debating on whether or not I should have gave his some advice, but figuring that Nico would only be interested in this girl for a few weeks at most before moving on, I let it go.

"Fine," I said. "But, don't beat yourself over her, okay? It's not worth it."

"Yeah," Nico said, dryly. "Whatever."

I could tell that he didn't anything more than to escape out of my bedroom, but before he could slip into a shadow and vanish, I stopped him. "Do you want to stay for Breakfast?" I asked, wondering if he'd gotten anything to eat in days. "My mom made pancakes."

For a second, Nico's eyes shot out towards the door to the kitchen. The smell of pancakes still lingered in the air, and I was sure that I could almost hear his stomach yearn for them. Normally, Nico would have taken the offer without any hesitation and happily tagged along- not to mention that he was a pretty big fan of my mom's cooking- but something I didn't quite understand was stopping him this time.

Nico tugged at his long sleeves, pulling them all the way over his hands and I realized that he had been fidgeting with them ever since he appeared. I almost wondered if he was trying to hide some girl's phone number written onto his wrist, but then Nico spoke. "Thanks…" he said, dully, "But, I'm not hungry."

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**Thanks so much for reading! Like I've said, I'm really sorry for the wait it took us to get this up. School truly is a pain, but I'll do my very best. Your feedback and reviews are the most important right now for us to continue, and we hope you are still with the story. **

**Please review. It means so much to us. **


	5. Wild Weather and Icy Afternoons

**Thank spring break for allowing me with enough time to get this chapter written! ^_^ Hope you enjoy!**

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"_The winter weather warning advisory remains in effect, leading us into our third day of constant snow. All schools throughout the area have been closed and over seventeen flights arriving and departing from Manhattan's __John F. Kennedy International Airport_ _have been cancelled. For more information on cancellations, please check your local listings. Moving on, we have professional __meteorologists, David B. Wilson, with us here and more on his prediction for another foot of snow coming our way -"_

Annabeth clicked another button on the remote, switching the channel.

The voice from the TV slowly faded as I found myself starting at her. Although Annabeth did a good job at hiding how bummed she was about her flight being cancelled from my parents, her cover didn't get past me.

Normally, I would have loved the thought of being barricaded inside my apartment with my girlfriend, with absolutely no excuses for us to be apart, no huge interruptions, and nothing from the outside that could bother us. But seeing the frown on Annabeth's face as she flipped through the news channels, hoping for a positive weather report, made my thoughts race.

I thought about Nico's visit last night and Rachel's phone calls. I felt helpless knowing there was nothing I could do from here to help Rachel. There was no guarantee that a monster unleashed by Hades wasn't there trying to attack her at his very moment. To top it off, Nico couldn't have been any less bothered by the whole situation of the underworld exploding with monsters, and for the fifth time that week, I wondered what girl could have him brainwashed this badly. He just seemed… _tired_.

In front of me, Annabeth fidgeted on the couch, adjusting her t-shirt and crossing her legs. My ADHD seemed to be poking me as my thoughts quickly drifted from me.

When she caught me looking at her, Annabeth's narrowed her eyes at me. "You're just loving this, aren't you?"

I realized I had been smiling, and now there was no way out. "You look cute in my clothes," I told her stupidly.

I tried not to let my mind wander as Annabeth rolled her eyes, but seeing her in my clothes for the past couple of days was more than I could take, and the secret that I was enjoying this was more than out.

"I swear, Percy, as soon as I get my stuff back from my dorm, I'm never wearing guys' shorts again," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Distraction caught up with her as Annabeth stared towards the balcony's glass door in the living room. "I just want this snow to clear _a little bit_. Just so that I can get some clothes from my dorm," she said absently.

Without really thinking, I found myself saying, "Then let's go."

Annabeth looked at me, raising an eyebrow, and I realized what I had said. "That's impossible, Seaweed Brain."

"Why?" I said, leaning forward in my seat. "It's worth a try."

Annabeth looked at me like this was the most bizarre thing I had said all week. "Haven't you been listening to all the warnings on TV?" she sighed, and in her best impersonation of the channel 5 reporter, she mimicked, "_Do not leave your homes unless it is an absolute emergency_."

"Since when has something dangerous ever stopped us before?"

For a second, Annabeth frowned, and I could tell she was contemplating the idea. But then she shook her head, coming back down to earth. "This is different, Percy. We're not on some quest right now."

"We've stood six feet away from Hades before, Annabeth," I argued. "Driving outside during a blizzard has got to be less dangerous."

Annabeth held my eyes, and I thought she might have been sinking into the idea. She took a deep breath. "Your mom is never going to allow it, even you know that."

I sighed, standing up and extending my hand out to Annabeth. "We can at least go downstairs and see what the conditions are like on our streets."

Annabeth was still unconvinced, but then she seemed to read the look on my face, and she understood that I was actually trying my hardest to make things better. Annabeth took my hand.

…

We headed down the elevator and outside into the freezing New York temperatures. The sound of heavy traffic and commotion filled the area. In the distance, where we could see the city roads, the cars stood jammed, occasionally skidding and crunching across the icy roads inch by inch.

Annabeth squeezed my hand. "Who knows how long those cars have been stuck on the roads. We can't possibly go anywhere until this clears, Percy."

I tried to think of something positive to say, but she was right. I watched Annabeth's eyes surf through the city, looking at the piles of snow on the sidewalks and icicles hanging off of the store signs across the street. "_If_ it clears," Annabeth added.

"Come on." I took her hand, leading her through the building's snow-filled parking lot, carrying a snow scraper in the other hand.

All the vehicles were coated in white about a hundred feet away, but Annabeth seemed to narrow her eyes, recognizing Paul's Prius immediately from its structure underneath the snow. "Over there," she pointed.

Light snow flurried down as we made it through the freezing sheet of snow to the car. With only one scrapper on us, Annabeth let me do the work as she watched. I could feel her eyes sink into me as I cleared the windshield, shoving aside a huge layer of snow to reveal the fogged glass. I wasn't sure what was making Annabeth stare at me so intently as I worked, but if she kept it up, I was sure she would have every inch of my movements memorized.

We could see our breaths in front us as bitterly cold air swirled around us.

By the time I managed to scrape all the snow off of the passenger side door and tug it open, Annabeth was shivering. As I held the car door open for her, gesturing for her to get in, Annabeth spoke through chattering teeth. "I didn't know you were such a gentlemen, Seaweed Brain."

I smirked, not surprised that she still had energy to tease me even while she was on the verge of turning blue from the cold. Working fast to clear the rest of the snow, I finally managed to pry the driver's side door open, crawling into the car.

I threw the snow scraper in the back seat and dug the car keys out of my jeans, shoving them into the ignition. The only reason Paul had given into the idea of handing them over to me was because he knew there was no possibility of us even budging the car out of the parking lot in this weather. He didn't know how right he was.

Annabeth took a deep breath, and I turned up the heat from the dashboard. "It's freezing," she mumbled through her still-slightly-chattering teeth as she shivered, leaning towards me into the driver's side.

I put my arm around Annabeth as best as I could in the confined space of the car. Glancing at her, I couldn't help but smile. "You look good for someone who had to improvise without her own clothes," I told her.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, even though I caught her biting her bottom lip. "Shut up, Percy."

Annabeth wore two layers of t-shirts underneath her sweatshirt, and her face looked flushed from the below zero temperature. I hadn't been lying, though, because as she sat cuddled up to my side, she looked as good as she normally did when she actually bothered to run a brush through her hair or scribble on a layer of Chap Stick. She didn't have to try.

This was the first time in days we had been alone, without my parent's right outside the room or down the hall, and my hand found Annabeth's. Although she let her fingers lace through mine, I could tell she was distracted as she stared ahead through the windshield. Flurries were blurring the glass again, and her eyes were fixed on a car accident around the corner of the intersection where a car had slid across the ice and crashed into the curb.

"It's normal," I told her. "There are always blizzards up here every year, and it takes a while to get traffic back in order. This is worse than it's ever been," I admitted, "but I promise it'll get better before Winter Break ends."

"So much for trying to get my clothes back, huh?"

"At least we have a head start," I pointed out, in a desperate attempt to be positive. "We cleared off most of the snow."

Annabeth smiled for my sake, turning her attention away from the window as she let her head fall on my shoulder. Her body sank into mine, and I held her tighter.

I didn't know how long we sat out there, the traffic jam stuck in position as the sun sank deeper and deeper behind the heavy snow clouds. I tried to concentrate on little things, like the sprinkle of snowflakes stuck in Annabeth's golden curls or the way she was breathing. The sky was dim and purple when I slowly tilted Annabeth's head up. Her gray eyes seemed to match the color the of the snow clouds in the sky.

If it was just a degree colder in the car, I could have seen Annabeth's breath as I closed the gap. Her skin was cold against mine as we kissed, and if the heat between us wasn't enough, I would have sworn the car's heater could have steamed up the windows. For a while, no one else in the world mattered as my consciousness of everything around me drifted from my grasp. All I was aware of was the feeling stirring inside me like a whirlpool as Annabeth's lips kept up with mine.

We were in the middle of mid-make out when Annabeth jumped.

I blinked. "What's wrong?"

She ignored me, digging into sweatshirt as she pulled out her phone. "Sorry," she mumbled to me, "text message. I forgot I had it on vibrate."

I nodded. "Who is it?"

Annabeth hurriedly punched down on the keys, typing a quick message before she flipped her phone closed. "My dad," she told me. "He's just checking how everything is."

It was usual for Annabeth's father to check in from time to time, but this time something was different. Annabeth bit her lip, looking more distracted than ever. It was as if she suddenly remembered something extremely important that she had to do.

"Hey," I said, making her look at me. My arm fell back to where it had been, and I leaned in closer. "Where were we?"

Annabeth barely let me kiss her cheek as she turned her head. "Percy," she said sitting up, "it's dark outside. Your parents are probably worried."

She had a point, but I wasn't done. I took her hand, and she relaxed a bit. "It can wait, Annabeth. Let's just stay down here a few more minutes."

When I tried to kiss her, Annabeth turned again, making it obvious this time that she clearly didn't want to be here. This wasn't like her.

Memories of the last few nights were rushing back through me, and none of it made sense anymore. I found myself asking, "What's been up with you lately?"

"Nothing," she said, staring at something ahead like she did when she wanted to avoid a topic. "I'm just cold, Percy. Let's get inside."

I stared at her. "You know, if this has something do with your dreams about Luke, you can tell me."

"This has _nothing_ to do with that… or with anything," she said, turning to look directly into my eyes.

I didn't know what was coming over me, but I thought about the last few days and how strange Annabeth had been acting ever since the first night. I didn't understand what she wasn't telling me, and it bothered me more than I thought. I couldn't even remember the last time we had kissed before this, because Annabeth seemed to push me away every time I got close. "This is the first time in days we've been completely alone, Annabeth; why would you suddenly want to go back upstairs? The kissing, being alone, telling each other what's bothering us – I thought you wanted all of this. Why have you been locking me out?" I asked, finding myself quickly growing more and more agitated with the whole situation.

I saw the look on Annabeth's face and could see equal frustration. She matched my tone when she spoke. "Will you just let me deal with it?"

It wasn't a question. I didn't understand it, but something about her words made me shut up.

I reached forward, gripping the steering wheel, feeling absolutely helpless as Annabeth stared out the passenger side the window. We sat in silence for a while, the tension growing thick. I didn't know what she was thinking, but my own thoughts were racing fast enough for the both of us.

I knew how stupid it sounded, but something was poking at me in the back of my head. I flashed back to a time before Annabeth and I had gotten together, and I found myself thinking about Rachel and Calypso. When I had been confused about how I felt, the last thing I had wanted was to be around Annabeth because there was a type of _guilt_ screaming at me to sort out my own feelings before I spoke to her. It was kind of the way Annabeth was acting now - distracted, confused, and clearly hiding something.

As I griped the steering wheel, my fingers felt numb.

I didn't know what I was thinking, but my heart sank deeper and deeper the more I let my mind poke at thoughts I had never even imagined thinking before. The thought of someone else on Annabeth's mind was enough to make me feel like something was burning me with a lighter right underneath my skin. I didn't know what I would have done.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth spoke, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at her, my voice soft as I replied. "Sorry about what?"

Annabeth exhaled. "I know this should be a great time because we're finally together, and I know I'm being a drag just because I missed my flight and nothing's going right," she explained honestly, beginning to rush her words as she ranted. "And, I know you're only trying to make things better, Seaweed Brain, and I'm happy to be with you, I swear, I am. But, I just – I wasn't expecting all this to happen. I need to be alone, Percy. I want it all to sink in."

Hearing Annabeth's words made my worries fade away quickly, making me feel slightly stupid for letting myself doubt anything, even if it was only for a second.

"I'm here for you," I said, not really realizing when I spoke. After I had said it, I found out exactly how much I meant it, even if I wouldn't have ever been able to explain it to anyone.

Annabeth smiled slowly. "I know that."

The sky was dark gray now, with a faded moon peeking through the distance. I opened the door after Annabeth as we stepped out into the cold. The snow had picked up, showering down on us until we made it inside the building and headed upstairs.

I thought that maybe, just for a while, everything would feel okay. I didn't know how wrong I was.

As we stepped back inside the apartment, my mom stood by the door with the phone in her hands. She looked relieved to see us. "Where were you two?"

Before either one of us could answer, an anxious look filled my mom's face. "Never mind that. It's Rachel – she's called nearly ten times since you guys stepped out. She could be hurt."

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T**hanks for reading. The plot will be moving along and unfolding soon within the next chapters. Also, more on Rachel and Nico in the next update is promised, so stay tuned. Please review? Your thoughts and words are the key to inspiring updates. **


	6. Broken Phone Calls and more Worries

**I'm incredibly sorry for the late update. It's not easy with an absent co-writer. I'll stop rambling now and let you get to the chapter. Hope you like it.**

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"Rachel? Rachel, can you hear me?" The sound of crackling static responded, and I was sure that if I gripped the telephone any tighter it would break.

Annabeth's voice came from the other side of the room, "Ask her where she is?"

"Rachel," I spoke again, in a desperate attempt. "If you can hear me, call me back. We just got home. I need to know if you're alright."

A screeching beep filled the telephone followed by more static. I sighed, clicking the off button on the phone to hang up.

Annabeth looked up at me, frowning. "No luck?"

I shook my head, walking across my room to where Annabeth was sitting on my bed. I took a seat on the edge of my mattress, hitting redial for the third time.

There was a muffled sound after the second tone, but no one spoke. "Rachel?" I said slowly, "Is that you?"

Before I could pay attention to what the barely audible voice was saying through the crackling phone line, Annabeth suddenly gasped from behind me. "Nico!" she yelled, "You scared the living Hades out of me! Don't do that!"

I stood up to see Nico standing on the dim side of my bedroom, long streaks of shadows quickly retrieving down by his feet.

"Shadow Travel takes a lot of work," Nico said, staring at Annabeth. "I can't help what time I show up."

The muffled voice spoke through the phone again, and I turned my back towards Nico and Annabeth as I tried to listen. "I can't understand what you're saying. Rachel? Speak louder."

Small sounds consumed the phone line until there was another click. Rachel's voice came through slowly. "Percy, I'm here. There were-" her voice was cut off.

"I lost you. Say that again," I said desperately, trying to block out the sound of Nico and Annabeth arguing behind me.

Rachel's voice came again after a few seconds. "There were monsters, Percy, a lot of them."

"Where are you?" I asked, "Are you safe now?"

"I was in the nurse's office. That's why the connection has been so bad. I'm going to my dorm now-"

"The nurse's office? Are you hurt?"

For a second Rachel didn't answer. Suddenly, static filled the silence and Rachel's voice was drowned behind the commotion.

"Rachel, I can't hear you. Tell me if you're okay." I tried saying, hoping she was listening. "What kind of monsters were they?"

There was silence on the other end and I could hear Nico's voice speaking. "Why is he so worried about his ex-girlfriend?"

"She's mortal, Nico. She's being attacked by monsters." Annabeth answered. "Wait, did you say _ex-girlfriend_? What makes you think she's his ex-girlfriend?"

"How do you know she isn't? Did you ever ask him?"

"I don't need to ask him. They never dated, Nico."

"That's what you think."

"What the Hades is that supposed to mean? Do you know something I don't?"

"No. I'm just saying."

Before Annabeth could respond to him, I turned around, frustration getting the best of me. "Can you two please _shut up_?" It came out harsher than I had meant, but Annabeth took a deep breath, reading my face.

"Rachel," I said for a last time into the phone, trying to get through.

The sound of a door slamming shut was heard through the phone before Rachel's voice cleared. "I'm saying that there are too many monsters here, Percy. It's like a whole family of hellhounds come to attack at the same time."

"Just hang in there, Rachel." I told her, "We've been talking to Nico. We're trying to fix it. I'll talk to Chiron at camp, maybe he can find a way to send you help-"

"No," Rachel cut me off urgently. "I can't have reinforcement from camp coming to the school, Percy. I'm not allowed to have visitors here or much less even use my cell phone at this hour."

"You need help. This is dangerous, Rachel."

Rachel's voice steadies as she tried to convince me. "I'll be fine. I can't have the camp thinking that the oracle isn't able to defend herself. Besides, the monsters just caught me off guard this time. I'll be more careful."

It was obvious that Rachel was down-playing the whole situation which had her on the brink of panic a few hours ago. There was only so much I could get out of her through a faulty telephone connection, and I exhaled, knowing that Rachel could be just as stubborn as Annabeth when she wanted to be. "Promise me that you'll keep updating me," I said. "Call me if there's another attack."

"Sure, I will." Rachel lowered her voice. "I think someone's coming. I have to go."

"If you can't handle it anymore, Rachel, I need you to tell me. You can't keep fighting them by yourself."

"Alright," Rachel whispered sharply. "I'll- I'll tell you, I promise."

Before I could warn her about anything else, the sound of talking echoed through the phone and Rachel spoke quickly. "I need to hang up. One more thing, though, if I can't-" Her voice broke off as there was a screeching sound through the phone and the connection ended.

Just like that, Rachel was gone. I sighed hoping that whatever she was about to say wasn't too important.

Nico and Annabeth were still talking on the other side of my room as I zoned back in to their conversation. Annabeth's face was grim as I approached. "Nico just told me about another wave of monsters coming fresh out of the Underworld," she said.

"Another wave? Is Hades just sending them out for fun?"I said, agitation slipping into my tone.

Nico tugged at his sleeves. "I don't know what's on my father's mind or why the monsters are attracted to the oracle," he said plainly. "I'm just telling you what I know."

"You're really making this a whole lot better," I said sarcastically, my eyes glaring at Nico.

Annabeth sat up slowly, "He's right, Seaweed Brain. Don't take it out on him."

I sighed, turning back towards Nico. "Isn't there anything you can do? Hades might listen to you. We need to stop it."

Nico shook his head slowly. "My dad only listened to me once. Besides, it's not our problem, anyway. The monsters are going straight up North."

"It _is_ our problem. Don't you care who might get hurt?"

There was silence in the air before I finally gave up, sitting down next to Annabeth. Annabeth touched my knee, giving me a look that reminded me that not everything was as bad as it could possibly be.

Nico stared at a blank spot on my wall. "Listen," he shifted on his feet. The light from the lamp seemed to shine on his face now, and I noticed that he was still as pale as he had been these past few weeks. "You might not see me as much anymore. I'll be busy."

Annabeth frowned. "Are you going somewhere?"

Nico's face was emotionless. "I'm thinking about it."

"Where?" I asked.

Nico seemed to shiver as if he was suddenly reminded where he was. "I have to leave now," he announced. "I might see you another a time."

"Hold on a second, "I said, "Nico?"

It was no use. Nico had already backed away into the shadows and knelt down to concentrate his energy before he was swept away into the darkness.

Once we were completely alone, Annabeth put her head on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it," she whispered. "It's nothing new. We can deal with a few more monsters."

I stared ahead, feeling helpless knowing that Riptide was of no use to me as it sat on my dresser. "Yeah, but Rachel can't."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked. "What did she tell you on the phone?"

"Rachel says she can handle it, but I can hear it in her voice, Annabeth. She can't keep dodging attacks. Not at the rate their coming." I told Annabeth about how Rachel didn't want word getting out at camp.

"She has a mortal life to worry about," Annabeth explained. "I don't blame her. As long as she can keep herself safe, everything will be fine. Hades can't just keep sending out monsters without the gods interfering."

I thought about what Annabeth was saying and then the confidence Rachel tried to prove in her voice. For a while, I felt like things weren't so bad.

Annabeth was quiet, letting me know that she was thinking just as hard as I was. "What is it?" I asked her.

"I'm more worried about Nico…" Annabeth said, trailing off.

"Why? He's just caught up thinking about some girl. He'll be fine once he gets over it."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Why are you so sure this is over a girl?"

"Because no guy looks like he has that much on his mind if it's not about a girl, Annabeth."

"That's not what I'm saying," she argued. "Don't you wonder if he's taking care of himself? I mean, we don't even know where he's staying or if he's getting any sleep."

"He knows how to survive," I assured her. "He's been doing it his whole life."

"It's weird, though. It's like there's something different about him. You're not taking this seriously."

"Alright, fine," I said, opening my mind up to what Annabeth what saying. "What am not taking seriously?"

Annabeth sat up, and I could tell that she had put a lot of thought into this. For a second, it was almost as if she was searching for the right words until she found it. "I think Nico's depressed."

Before I had time to let it sink in and truly let the idea bounce around in my mind, the telephone rang. I picked it up, immediately. "Rach- …Oh, ," I answered, standing up.

Annabeth suddenly sprung up after me, her eyes widening a fraction. I didn't know what was making her so alert, but I tried to ignore it as I spoke to her father.

How are you, Percy?" 's voice asked through the phone. "It's nice to hear from you again."

As we made small talk, Annabeth's eyes never left my face. It was as if she was evaluating every word that came out of my mouth. Annabeth spoke up, "Percy, let me talk."

"We were just sitting around," I told him, "there's not much to do when you're snowed in."

Before I could hear his response, Annabeth grabbed the phone from me.

"What's wrong?" I asked her quickly. Annabeth put the phone to her ear, saying something to her dad that I couldn't hear.

I didn't know why she was so eager to pull the phone out of my hands, but she had already disappeared into the living room, leaving me standing alone feeling more confused than before.

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**Updates should be a bit easier now that it's summer. On a quick note, ShadowPalace may not be returning to this story until August. Until then, I'll be doing my best. Please review and let me know if you're enjoying or if you have any predictions on where everything is going. I've been saying this for a while now, but the plot will truly be picking up _very_ quickly.**

**Please review.**


	7. Jumping Conversations and Small Hopes

**Welcome back to The Perfect Mistake. ^_^ I hope I got this chapter up quick enough. Please enjoy.**

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Frosty wind blew in through the air from the open doors of the balcony.

As Annabeth and I lounged in the living room, my mom and Paul had managed to slide open the balcony's doors to step out into the outdoors.

I had a feeling Annabeth's eyes were searching the sky as she stared towards the source of the chilly air, trying to find any hints of sunlight to melt the storm. Instead, Annabeth smiled slowly. "Paul makes her really happy," Annabeth commented quietly.

I raised an eyebrow, taking my attention off of the TV. "What?"

Annabeth glanced at me for a second before looking back at Paul and my mom leaning over the railing to see the traffic below. "I was never around until recently to see my dad happy with another person," Annabeth admitted. "It's just nice seeing how Paul can make your mom smile. You know, just considering everything she's been through."

I hadn't been expecting Annabeth bring that up, but I couldn't pretend like I hadn't thought the same exact things at one point. I flashed back to the moment when Paul asked for my consent to propose to my mom and the only thing I could think of was how happy she was around him. The more I thought about it, I realized that a strange type of apprehension was stirring inside of me and it was enough to make me try and block out the thoughts as I focused back on the TV.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked and I realized that she could recognize my uneasiness too.

I shook my head, but Annabeth kept her eyes on me as if I was some science experiment that she was observing for a grade.

It took her a second before it seemed to click. Annabeth sighed, remembering something I had told her days ago. "I still don't understand why you don't want a sibling, Percy."

I preferred to stick with the silence that consumed the room, but I knew that Annabeth wasn't giving up. I finally took a deep breath. "Don't you think our lives are crazy enough as it is?" I asked her. "What good will it do to have another family member grow up in all this chaos?"

"Things are settling down," Annabeth reminded me. "Aside from Hades random monsters, things won't be so crazy anymore." I didn't comment, and Annabeth seemed to stare at me knowing there was more to it. She told me something she had already declared to me before, and this time she seemed absolutely sure of it. "You're going to be an amazing big brother," she said.

I tried not to groan the more I thought about it. "It doesn't even matter right now. I doubt a baby's coming with all four of us staying under the same roof."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, smacking me on the arm.

"Besides," I said, sitting up on the couch, "we have more important things to talk about."

Annabeth seemed to read my mind as her smile withered slowly. Thoughts from last night about Rachel's phone calls and Nico's visit seemed to be drawing on both of our minds.

"Depressed?" I inquired, remembering what Annabeth thought the reason behind Nico's strange mood was. "I know he's probably seen more death than any of us, but depressed?"

"It's a serious condition, Percy. There's more to it than just appearing sad," Annabeth told me. "It wouldn't be surprising if he's depressed or maybe even-"

"Maybe even what?" I asked, wondering what had made her stop so abruptly.

"Nothing," Annabeth shook her head. "It's too soon to make assumptions. I'm not saying I'm sure he's depressed, but he's showing the signs."

I sighed. "This isn't like Nico." I found myself thinking back all those years ago to the cheerful little boy playing with his Mythomagic game cards or asking me if Annabeth was my girlfriend.

"Whatever is going on with him," Annabeth said, "It scares me."

I saw the serious look on her face and knew that just maybe it was more than a girl when it came to Nico. I thought about it for a second, before speaking. "As long as he keeps showing up here," I assured Annabeth, "we won't let anything happen to him."

Annabeth nodded as silence slowly filled the air. I felt my mind drifting off as I thought of everything else that had happened last night. Annabeth had snatched the phone from me to talk to her father and she hadn't been the same the rest of the night after she went to bed early, locking the door to my bedroom.

"Is everything okay back home?" I asked, catching Annabeth off guard.

She seemed surprised at my question before collecting herself. "Everything is great. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I mean," I paused, finding the nerve to ask her, "what was your dad saying?"

Annabeth's hands flew to her collar and then back to her lap as she realized she wasn't wearing her camp necklace. "I can't remember," she stated.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was looking for an excuse. A million thoughts seemed to be running through my mind at once as I tried to think of all the possible reasons Annabeth was acting so strange when it came to her dad.

"I think we should help make dinner tonight," Annabeth said after a long pause.

"You're changing the topic."

"Changing what topic?"

"Annabeth!"

Annabeth stood up abruptly. "I can't believe we're arguing like this as if we're twelve again, Percy!"

I stood up slowly after her. "Who said we're arguing? Listen, all I meant was-"

"It's personal, alright?" Annabeth said.

I didn't understand what was so personal to get her this irritated, but hearing her words made me shut up. Somewhere inside, I knew that I wasn't going to be getting a straight answer and it was as if I had given up trying to get through to Annabeth right then. There was nothing I could do as she locked me out.

A heavily intense feeling filled the atmosphere, and it was broken as my mom stepped back inside the room after Paul. "Turn on the news," Paul told us, "I think the snow is stopping."

Annabeth picked up the remote, flipping to the weather channel where a reporter was speaking hurriedly. "_It appears as if the wind currents are taking a rapid turn to the south. In the next few days, we may see more sunshine creating a good chance for some of the snow blocking our highways to clear. Although there are no predictions for anymore snow the rest of the week, it is important to note that the sunshine is most likely only temporary as the blizzard is expected to continue late next week."_

"That's great news," my mom said as Annabeth turned down the volume. "The inner streets should be clearing quickly. Maybe we can finally make it out of the apartment."

Annabeth smiled slowly and I knew that this gave us a chance to try and get her clothes from her dorm.

"Don't forget that Christmas is coming in a few weeks," Paul added. "This is the best chance to do any shopping if we can."

I looked at Annabeth smile and the thought of her distant behavior that had me feeling like I was buried underneath someone's feet just a second ago, seemed to be fade as I realized Annabeth was honestly happy. The sooner the weather cleared, the sooner Annabeth would be going to San Francisco, but I was willing to see her go for a few days if it would give her a peace of mind. All I really wanted was to see her relaxed and happy again the way it used to be.

Before I had time to say anything, the sound of something crashing to the floor came from down the corridor where my room was.

Annabeth and I suddenly exchanged nervous glances.

My mom looked in the direction of the sound. "What was that?"

"Nothing," I said, starting forward, hoping my mom or Paul didn't need elaboration.

As Annabeth followed me towards my room, I could hear her whisper. "Could that be Nico?"

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**Thanks for reading. I really do hope you leave a review. :)**


	8. Threatening Goodbyes and Dark Nightmares

**Two things are currently at the top of my hate list: time moving too quickly and Summer Homework. **

**Please forgive this delayed update.**

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Annabeth and I sped down the corridor towards my room. A swirl of dark purple and black seemed to blend together in a burst of light as it shone out into the hallway from my room.

When we entered, sure enough, Nico was present. He had a hand on his head as if he had just bumped into something and his eyes were closed.

"Nico," I said unsurely, stepping closer to him.

The flashes of light seemed to shrink away slowly until the normal lighting of my room returned. Nico opened his eyes slowly, straightening his posture as he composed himself.

The first thing anyone would have noticed was the bloodshot, weary look to his eyes.

"Nico," Annabeth repeated, from behind me. "Are you alright?"

He rubbed his head once again. "Bad landing," he mumbled slightly incoherently. Beside Nico, broken glass lay shattered on the floor from something that had fallen off of my side table.

"You've been using shadow travel too much lately," I told him, watching as he struggled to regain his senses. "You need to give it a break. It takes too much energy out of you."

Even though Nico was looking at me as I spoke to him, I had a feeling he wasn't really here. There was a lost look flooding his face and his pale skin made me feel like he was dangerously sick.

"Percy's right," Annabeth said slowly, coming forward. She kept her eyes on Nico carefully, the way she would on an enemy that could launch forward at any given moment. I didn't quite understand why Annabeth was suddenly so nervous, but I kept my mouth shut as she tried to reason with him. "Using all this energy is dangerous. Maybe you should sit down."

"Sit down?" Nico asked, a strange spark coming to his eyes. "No, I didn't come here to sit down."

"It's almost dark outside, Nico," I told him. "Do you have some kind of news? Did something happen?"

For a second, Nico looked confused as if he was trying to remember exactly what he came here to tell us. He finally shook his head. "I won't be here to give you anymore news for a while."

"You said you were going somewhere," Annabeth remembered. "Where, Nico?"

There was suddenly a different look to Nico's eyes as his pupils filled with a maniac type of look I had never seen before. "I remember now," Nico stated dryly. "That's why I came here, to say goodbye. I'm leaving tonight."

I watched Annabeth's eyes widen slightly, though she tried to hide it. "To say _goodbye_? Nico, what are you talking about?"

The feeling of eternal darkness and death seemed to be drifting through the air and I wondered if Nico was hanging out near grave yards and spirits rising from the dead again.

Nico allowed his gaze to lock into Annabeth's, his emotion unchanging. "This should have happened a long time ago," he said. "It's long overdue."

"You're wrong, Nico," Annabeth said steadily. "Whatever you're thinking, _leaving_ is not the answer."

I was still trying to keep up with what Annabeth meant and what Nico was saying when his expression changed. A flare of anger came over Nico, his eyes rimmed with more red than before. "You think you know, but you don't. I've thought about this for a long time. There's no point anymore."

"No point to what, Nico? Are you listening to yourself?"

Nico closed his eyes, backing away into a shadow cast in the corner of my room the way he usually did when he wanted to escape. "I've made up my mind," he told Annabeth. By his side, Nico was gripping something that I hadn't noticed before. His Stygian Iron sword seemed to glint, looking as black as a nightmare, in contrast to the dull gray shadows cast on the wall.

"Wait," I said, feeling a strange type of concern with what Nico was saying. Whatever he meant by leaving to go somewhere, it didn't sound good. "Don't go yet."

"Why are you doing this, Nico?" Annabeth said in a desperate attempt to reason with him.

"The war is over," Nico declared. "Everything is perfect now for anyone who has somewhere to go. This time of the world is meant for people who have something they can go back to. It's not for people like me."

Even though Nico had never let it show these past years, I knew that he had always had a hard time belonging ever since he had been thrown into the world of monsters and half bloods only to find out that his sister was gone because of it. I flashed back to the moment when I stood at Olympus bargaining with the gods to acknowledge and accept their children, and as I watched Nico in front of me, my resentment towards the gods who abandoned their children seemed to be growing like wildfire. "You don't have to go back to the Underworld, there are other places-"

"The Underworld is home," Nico said, refusing to listen to me. "Even Hades isn't happy; you've seen how dangerous his wrath is becoming. I can't stop it."

"Listen to me," Annabeth said, shaking her head. I had a feeling she had already spent enough time fearing Nico coming to this, and now that it was here, she was ready to stop it."You can't do this."

Nico looked towards the ground for a second before speaking. "Death isn't so scary."

"Maybe not for the son of Hades," Annabeth acknowledged, "But it's not the answer."

"What do you know? You haven't seen the Underworld like I have-"

"You're talking crazy, Nico!" Annabeth said, raising her voice. I could tell she was doing her best to keep her composure, but the look on her face told me she could have exploded. "You can't do this- you can't just say goodbye."

"Who's stopping me?" Nico challenged, sparks still running through his eyes. There was a sense radiating off Nico's sword as he held it; I could feel Nico's power channeling through the black iron, powerful enough to drain life from a soul.

"_We_ are," Annabeth stated, steadying her tone. I could hear it in her voice; she was using every bit of her convincing nature and logic to get through to him. "Really think about this, Nico. Is this how the only son of Hades is going to leave this world?"

"Leave this world?" I repeated, feeling like it truly hit me for the first time. Everything Nico had been saying, everything Annabeth had feared- Nico was truly talking _death_.

"It's _suicide_, Nico," Annabeth emphasized, trying to keep calm. "This isn't what Bianca would have wanted for you, and it most certainly won't give you a place to go to. You'll be _dead_, Nico."

Nico backed all the way into the wall, shaking his head as if he couldn't bear anything we were saying.

"Stop this," I said, feeling like I could barely speak. It was as if something in the back of my mind wasn't letting me accept the reality that was in front of me."We can talk about this. But, you can't be serious about dying, Nico."

"I'm not joking-" Nico began saying.

"_Please_," Annabeth said. "Not yet, Nico. You can't possibly have made up your mind this easily, you're stronger than this."

We watched carefully as Nico allowed his fingers to relax just the slightest, releasing his clenched fists. The flicker of insanity in his eyes seemed to be fading, being replaced with a look of bewilderment on his face.

"We're here for you," I told Nico, "Stop thinking like this."

Exhaustion seemed to come over Nico quickly, as if all this talking and anger had just drained him. For the first time, I felt like Nico was listening as he stared at the shadows on the ground.

"Percy's right," Annabeth said, trying to get through to him logically, "You're not alone. If you leave, everything you've ever known is going to be risked. There's no guarantee that you'll reach the right place in the Underworld to get what you're looking for. You won't have control of the dead like you do now, Nico."

I thought about all the times Nico had shown up in my room looking tired and worn out, and it all started to come together. What Annabeth had thought was depression had turned into something far worse. I remembered Annabeth's concern just earlier today and how I had promised her that we wouldn't let anything happen to him.

As Nico stood in front of us, nearly falling over and looking barely alive as it was, I couldn't stand the thought of it getting so far.

I approached Nico, helping him stand. "Are you listening?" I shook him by the shoulders. "You need to give me the blade."

He didn't fight back as I took the Stygian Iron out of his grasp. The sword was leaking a sense that brought uneasiness to the entire room, burning my skin as I tried to handle it. I set the sword on the floor carefully, turning back to Nico.

Nico swallowed slowly. He was motionless, barely caring that I unarmed him, as he stared absently at the carpet to regain his energy. Shadows seemed to be dancing at his feet. "I have to go," Nico said weakly, "Just back to where I'm staying."

Annabeth took a deep breath, still unrelieved. "You can't go, Nico. Not until you swear you won't try anything. Swear on the Styx."

Nico glanced up at Annabeth, meeting her eyes with his own lifeless ones. "I can't promise anything. But, you've delayed my plans, I'll grant you that."

"Wait-"I began saying, but Nico had allowed himself to begin being consumed by the shadows of the room. I knew that he had stored every ounce of energy he could spare for this last source of transportation. Within seconds, Nico had used shadow travel to vanish into the darkness.

I looked back towards Annabeth, both of us unable to speak as we took in what had just happened. Annabeth was the first to break the silence, "This is exactly what I was talking about, Percy," she said gravely, "he's talking _suicide_. This is serious."

"I know that," I muttered, feeling the worse I had felt all week and that was saying something. I felt stupid for overlooking the true intensity of Nico's condition and if it wasn't for Annabeth, I wouldn't have been able to talk Nico out of it the way Annabeth had just done. "Do you think he'll listen?"

Annabeth nodded thoughtfully, the distressed look still on her face. "He'll listen for now, but we have to do something."

I sighed, taking Annabeth's hand as I led the way out of the room, remembering that we had left my parents very confused in the living room. "We'll think of something," I promised.

**...…**

That night, it didn't surprise me that neither Annabeth nor I could sleep.

After trying to convince my mom and Paul that the noise was just a broken lamp and that we had spent the past half an hour locked in my room trying to fix it, they had given up, going to bed.

The television only seemed like flashes of light shining on our faces as I stared blankly, not really paying attention. A million thoughts and worries seemed to be bouncing in my mind.

Annabeth yawned from next to me on the couch, her body subconsciously leaning into mine as her head fell on my shoulder. I knew that she had constantly been wearing out her brain ever since Nico had vanished, thinking of solutions and our options.

"Here," I whispered, moving a couch cushion to my lap.

Annabeth blinked, before yawning again. She didn't argue, allowing herself to lie down on the couch with her head in my lap.

I didn't know when Annabeth fell asleep or how long I sat there thinking. Credits for a movie played on the TV screen in front of me. I glanced at the time and found myself wondering where Nico was or what Rachel would be doing right now.

I thought about Nico's sword in my room and I could almost feel the burning on my fingertips again from where I had held the blade that could summon the dead. I knew that as the Underworld grew more and more restless, the further it pushed Nico towards the edge. Besides that, it also meant more monsters, strong and ready, to head towards Rachel's direction.

Annabeth suddenly moved, turning over in her sleep until she found a more comfortable spot. My train of thought broke as I watched Annabeth sleep. Even in a deep state of dreaming, Annabeth still looked like her mind was running a mile a minute.

I was sure that darkness would turn into daylight and credits upon credits for movies would play one after another on the TV if I kept letting my thoughts race the way they were as I sat there. I was very aware that it was past two in the morning when Annabeth turned in her sleep again.

It was never like her to talk in her sleep, but this particular time she looked restless as she shuffled on the couch. I wasn't expecting it when Annabeth spoke during her dreaming. "No, you can't come back," she mumbled. "It's not possible."

I felt myself frowning as I watched Annabeth carefully. She looked as if she was having a terrible dream, and I almost felt bad for not waking her.

"No," Annabeth muttered, once again, turning her head suddenly as the cushion underneath her head moved slightly from my lap. "Don't, Luke."

There it was again. It was the one name that never seemed to leave me.

Sitting there as time kept going, I knew that I had another thing to worry about.

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	9. Frantic Calls and Desperate Requests

**As usual, I hope this was up quick enough. Your feedback and comments truly warm my heart and benifit the writing of this story. ^_^ Now, ****I won't ramble on, letting you move on to the actual chapter . **

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We stood in the doorway to the apartment, zipping up our coats.

My mom grabbed the keys off of the kitchen counter, calling out to Paul that we'd be back by evening at the earliest.

It was late afternoon and the best time to go outside for any necessary errands to avoid traffic and road blocks, at least according to the local news.

Annabeth tugged on her boots as we waited for my mom to join us. "I hope the roads aren't slippery," she said.

"We'll make it," I told her, knowing that Annabeth was really looking forward to finally being able to retrieve some of her clothes and luggage from her dorm so she could spend the rest of break comfortably.

My mom appeared in the doorway, slipping on a glove over her fingers. "We better get going before the sun goes down," she noted.

Annabeth nodded, gripping the door knob. She was about to turn it when the phone rang loudly.

All three of us seemed to look in the direction of the sound. "Paul has his hands full," my mom remembered, looking towards me, "do you mind getting that, honey?"

I sighed, kicking off my sneakers as quickly as I could to pick up the phone from the living room. I answered it on the last ring. "Hello?"

A broken up female voice responded with something I couldn't understand clearly.

It took me a second before I realized who it could have been, and my heart seemed to tighten in my chest at the thought. "Rachel," I said. "What's wrong?"

Rachel's voice was muffled through the phone as I tried to hear her. "Percy," she said, "I need to talk to you."

"Are you alright?" I asked again. "I'm right here, Rachel. Talk. What is it?"

On the other end, Rachel's voice sounded weak and I realized it might have been more than just a faulty phone connection. She sounded as if she was crying. "This is something serious, Percy. I need you to listen."

"I'm listening," I promised her. "Where are you?"

"I'm in my dorm," Rachel told me quietly, and I could tell she was struggling to steady her tone. "This is the first time I'm alone, and I called you right away."

From the doorway, my mom called, "Percy, who is it?"

"Give me a second," I said quickly into the phone receiver, walking towards the door. I put the phone down by my side, meeting Annabeth and my mother's curious expressions. "It's Rachel," I said, "She wants to talk."

Annabeth's eyes clicked into mine, and for a second I saw the same tension I was feeling surge through her. "What's wrong?" she asked me.

"I don't know yet," I told Annabeth. "I think I should talk to her."

My mom shifted on her feet. "We need to get going. This might be our only shot at clear weather," she said.

I found myself looking towards Annabeth. "You guys go," I offered, quickly. "I'll handle this."

My mom nodded in an understanding nature. "We'll call you from the road to let you know where we are."

I nodded, feeling a tinge of guilt for rushing them out of the door into the icy streets alone.

Annabeth seemed to give me a reluctant smile, before she stepped out into the apartment's corridor, following my mom. "Make sure she's alright, Seaweed Brain."

Once they were gone, I put the phone back to my ear. On the other end, I could hear Rachel's shaky breathing and I was suddenly reminded about how helpless I felt. "Rachel?"

Her small voice answered, "I'm here."

"You said you were alone. Where's your roommate?" I asked her.

"Break just began over here today," she told me. "Most people left to visit their families."

"That's _good_," I said, suddenly feeling hopeful. "That means you can come home, get away from all the bad things happening up there."

The sound of Rachel breathing in sharply filled the phone. "I'm not coming home."

"What? Why not-"

"My dad is in another country for business and I'm pretty sure my mom is off on vacation somewhere. It was arranged for me to stay here for break." Then, quickly adding, she said, "And, that's fine, really. I don't mind. Except that-" he voice seemed to trail off.

"Except what, Rachel?"

Rachel didn't speak. A small feeling begin rising inside me, something so small that I normally wouldn't have paid attention to it. But, as I held the phone to my ear, waiting for Rachel to speak, I was very aware of the feeling of uneasiness sinking in.

"Percy," Rachel finally said, pulling in another sharp breath. "There have been too many monster attacks lately. I just- I didn't want to worry you with it before."

"It's not about worrying me. Tell me what's going on over there," I said, feeling angry now that I was so powerless. Things were getting out of hand and there was nothing I could do from here.

"At first the monsters only came one at a time, or maybe in pairs," Rachel told me weakly. "But now, they're in large packs and they're stronger. They're after me. They attack at once, Percy."

My heart seemed to sink deeper and deeper as Rachel explained the acts of the monsters. She was mortal, completely untrained for any attacks at all. How Rachel was managing the monsters was beyond me, but one thing was for sure, she couldn't keep dodging the attacks, and that thought was enough to make me drop everything and dare to confront Hades myself.

"Was there an attack today?" I asked Rachel, careful not to let my irritation with the Underworld or my concern leak into my voice.

There was a beat of silence. Two beats. Rachel spoke. "Yeah."

"Are you hurt?"

What Rachel said next was something I wasn't expecting. Her voice trembled. "I don't even know what part of me is hurt anymore, Percy. I can't- I can't handle this. I thought I could- but there are too many. I can't- " Her voice cracked.

"It's okay," I said immediately, trying to find words. I had never heard Rachel so devastated before; right in the midst of breaking down. "You don't have to keep handling this. You need help."

I knew Rachel was crying, trying her best to stop her tears and restore her breathing, the next time she spoke. "I can't ask anyone else, Percy. I just- I can't do this anymore." Rachel took a short breath, holding back her emotion. She spoke through her hiccups. "Can you come here?"

My fingers tightened around the phone receiver, my ear and the arm holding up the phone suddenly beginning to feel numb. When I spoke, it came out as a whisper as if I was talking to myself. "You want me to come there?"

Rachel took in another shaky breath, swallowing. "I don't even know what I'm asking. But, visitors are allowed now that Break started. If you come here maybe you could lay off the monsters, maybe just for a day."

I heard the desperation in Rachel's voice for the first time. The more I thought about it, the more I understood Rachel's reasoning for wanting to leave Camp out of this. Explaining the circumstances to Chiron or sending reinforcements for protection, it would take days and cause chaos at Rachel's school. Even the gods would have little room to send protection to their oracle without causing uproar between the world of mortals and demigods considering Rachel's surroundings. If protection from Apollo truly was to come, someone had to be there with Rachel to protect her if things went wrong. There was no telling what these monsters were hardwired to do. Rachel needed help to come calmly and quickly, and standing there with the phone in my hands, for the first time, I felt in control.

"The streets are packed with snow," I told Rachel, remembering the storm as I tried to reenter reality, blocking off my thoughts. "But, if there's any way, Rachel, I promise I'll be there."

Rachel sniffed. "I need your help."

"Don't leave your dorm for now," I told her. "I'll call you again. Just don't get hurt."

Rachel breathed, trying her best to stead her voice. "Thank you," she said. It was the last thing she able to stay steadily through the phone before I told her to wait for my call. We hung up.

I sat down on our small kitchen table, slamming the phone down and burying my head in my hands. I didn't know why all of this was happening, but I knew that I had to act quickly if I wanted Rachel to stay safe.

Rachel's trembling voice as she admitted for the first time that she was hurt seemed to echo in my head. The thought of every possible cut, scratch or claw mark scarring Rachel's body made me cringe. If being at an all girls finishing school against her wishes wasn't enough, she was being attacked by monsters for the first time in her life now that she hosted the oracle's spirit. Rachel hadn't asked for this.

The more I thought about going to help Rachel, my mind drifted to what Annabeth would make of all of this. Annabeth was already clouded with hundreds of thoughts to try and help Nico, and I was almost sure that she was dealing with other things that she wouldn't let me in on.

I remembered this morning when Annabeth woke up, realizing she had spent the night on the couch with her head in my lap. She had been angry that I had stayed up the whole night not wanting to wake her before I saw her blush slowly. The moment didn't last long when I finally worked up the nerve to ask her why she was mumbling Luke's name in her sleep. Annabeth hadn't wanted to talk about it, clearly locking me out. The thought seemed to burn me worse now as I thought about it on top of Rachel's situation.

I was so caught up in my thoughts, that I hardly noticed when Paul had stepped in to the kitchen until he spoke. "Percy?"

I lifted up my head, blinking a few times to readjust to the light in the room. Paul's beard looked newly trimmed and his hair were damp, telling me that he had been in the shower.

Paul frowned. "I thought you had left with your mom and Annabeth," he said, studying my face. "You okay?"

I ran my hands over my face, trying to regain sense of everything around me. "Yeah," I said, in the most collected tone I could manage. "They went without me since Rachel called."

Paul pulled out a chair on the kitchen table, taking a seat directly beside me on our round table. "Rachel," he said almost to himself as if he were remembering what the worry linked to her was. "She offered to become the new Oracle of Delphi, right?"

I nodded, not blaming Paul for his confusion. He was doing his best for a mortal who couldn't see clearly through the mist. "She's at Clarion's Academy in New Hampshire," I explained. "It was what her dad wanted. Everything would be fine, but there's trouble in the Underworld. Hades is unleashing monsters that seem to go straight towards Rachel."

Paul fixed his steady blue gaze on me, nodding thoughtfully as he took in the information trying to make sense of it. "I take it you're really worried about her."

I sighed, expecting to feel that same helpless feeling that I had been suffering with for weeks flowing through my veins at the thought. Instead, as I stared back at Paul, I felt a tinge of control. "I can help her," I said.

Paul looked confused as he waited for me to tell him exactly what I was thinking.

"The gods or camp knows little about this," I told him.

My step father leaned forward in his chair, putting his arms on the table. "And I assume you feel like _you're _the only one that can help, am I right?"

I glanced at the salt and pepper shaker next to the napkin holder, my ADHD acting up as I tapped my foot underneath the table. I felt like I was suddenly in the middle of a battle and I had to make an abrupt decision. Just like in battle, once the brain clicked with a sense of determination for something, there was no turning back.

"I have to go up to New Hampshire," I said, not knowing when I had made up my mind. All I knew was that as I said it, it never sounded more right. Helping Rachel was long overdue and I could sit around asking her to keep me informed by phone calls anymore.

A disbelieving look came to Paul's face very slowly when he noticed I wasn't joking. He seemed to stare at me saying _are you serious_ before he put his hands together. "You want to go up to New Hampshire?" he asked again, as if he was reconfirming if I knew what I was saying.

Frustration came to me quickly, knowing how crazy it sounded. A part of me knew that the moment I had fixed my determination to the idea, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. The other part of me, wanting to back down to Paul's questioning expression, knew it sounded impossible. I swallowed, closing my eyes for a second before looking back at my step dad. "Is there any chance I can get there?"

As Paul sat by me, his eyes focused on me, I had a feeling he read the seriousness on my face. "Your mom and Annabeth are out right now only trying to make it a few miles through the city, Percy," Paul explained to me carefully. "You're talking about trying to make it about two hundred fifty miles- about four to five hours- up to a different state."

"It's possible," I argued. "The storm isn't so bad once we get out the city."

"Maybe," Paul reasoned. "But, the Manhattan highways are going to be half the challenge."

I sighed, feeling ready to call Blackjack to fly us to Rachel even if it meant the mist would have to account for a giant black Pegasus landing on school grounds. "Isn't there any other way?" I asked, giving it one last try. "We could take the back roads."

I wasn't expecting Paul to entertain the idea, but a strange type of silence filled the kitchen as Paul stared at me silently. I had the feeling he had remembered something as he thought hard. "The back roads," Paul said almost to himself, nodding slowly. He looked back at me one more time before speaking, and I had a feeling he could see exactly how much I needed to do this. I flashed back to a moment months ago when I needed my mother's blessing to step inside the Styx River. Paul had understood, convincing my mom that I'd be fine. As Paul looked at me now, I felt like the same type of understanding was passing between us. Paul finally sighed. "It's possible."

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	10. Agitating Arguments and Endless Thoughts

**Please enjoy this update before school ties us up and attempts to murder us again.**

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"Are you out of your mind?" Annabeth yelled, staring at me as if I had just told her I was moving to Siberia.

After Rachel had called and I had spoken to Paul about going to New Hampshire, my mom and Annabeth hadn't returned home until night had fallen. It probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to do, or maybe I was just being a coward, but I had waited until late night to tell Annabeth what was on my mind.

Annabeth had gotten her clothes back from her dorm and she and my mother had managed to drive home safely despite the icy streets. My parents had already gone to bed and I was sure it was past midnight when I had started telling her about the phone call with Rachel as we sat in my room. We had just been talking at first and everything was fine. Annabeth looked truly concerned as I told her about Rachel's break down.

The second I had even mentioned Rachel asking me to come to New Hampshire or the fact that I was thinking about it, Annabeth had done a three hundred and sixty degree flip with her mood. She looked outraged, nearly crashing noses with me as we stood.

And here we were. I took a deep breath. "Just hear me out," I tried to say. "Rachel can't handle the monster attacks by herself, it's not possible-"

"I'm not questioning the fact that Rachel needs help," Annabeth said, cutting me off heatedly. "I just can't believe you would even _think_ about seriously going up there."

"Why not?" I asked, feeling a tinge of annoyance that wasn't there before.

"_Why not?" _Annabeth repeated incredulously. "There are more than a hundred reasons why not, Percy! It's not even safe for you to go. We don't even know what this is yet; camp needs to know before you try to handle the monsters yourself. Besides, it will be impossible getting out of the city-"

"Paul has a way to avoid the road blocks," I argued. "He said he'd take us."

Annabeth looked bright red. "Why are you so anxious to go see Rachel anyway?"

I blinked, staring at Annabeth for a second to make sure she was serious. "Are you kidding?" I asked, almost laughing. "She's being attacked by monsters coming straight out of the Underworld, Annabeth! I'm asking you to come with me."

Annabeth turned her head, staring at my desk up against the wall.

I exhaled. "Look, I'm asking you to come with me. I can't do this alone. I don't understand what the problem is with both of us going up there to take care of the things that Rachel can't do alone."

I knew Annabeth wanted to suggest that we send someone from camp, but I had a feeling that she knew as well as I did that it would be a bad idea. Getting the gods or other demigods involved might have made it more dangerous for Rachel. The situation was too delicate. I didn't know what was making Annabeth angry, but I knew that she wanted the best for Rachel. Despite Annabeth's initial dislike of Rachel, she had grown to like her ever since Rachel became the Oracle. But, as I stood there in front of Annabeth, I couldn't help but feel like her annoyance with the red head was coming back. It was something I couldn't understand even for a second.

Annabeth moved her eyes, looking directly at me. "That's not the issue," she said

"Then, what is?" I asked, praying she'd be straightforward with me for once. I had to admit that Annabeth hadn't been easy to talk to these past few days between her conversations with her father or her dreams of Luke.

Annabeth stiffened. When our eyes locked, it was like electricity was sparking between our gazes in the heat of the moment. "I don't even know what to think anymore," Annabeth said, suddenly. As she spoke, she rushed her words, getting angrier by the second. "One minute you're talking to me and the next you're worried sick about Rachel. What was Nico saying anyway about her being your ex-girlfriend?"

"_What_?" I asked. The memory of the when Nico had accused me of being too worried for Rachel, calling her my ex-girlfriend came to me slowly. "Nico doesn't know what he's talking about. We never dated, Annabeth."

"Did you guys ever kiss?" Annabeth kept her eyes fixed to mine, a bunch of different emotions I couldn't recognize were swirling around in gray irises.

The heat rushed to my face quickly and I felt like Annabeth was being the most unreasonable she had ever been. "You never bothered asking that before," I told her, as calmly as I could manage. "Why is that suddenly so important now?"

"Because I never knew you liked her _that_ much," Annabeth accused. Her voice was rising, there were equal sparks in both of our eyes.

"I don't like her!" I said, matching her tone. "I like _you_, Annabeth. You're my girlfriend."

"Well, you're not making it any easier for us by doing all of this."

As I stared at her, a type of anger suddenly flared up inside of me. I thought about how Annabeth had been pushing me away lately, locking me out. She barely let us kiss anymore and anytime we were alone we were either talking about our worries of Nico and Rachel or arguing like we were now. I was doing my best to keep everything running smoothly, but Annabeth had been complicated lately. "_I'm_ not making this easier for us?" I asked, disbelievingly. "The last time I checked, Annabeth, I was the one who was still telling you what's my on my mind."

The last thing I wanted to do was explode out about everything I was feeling, giving Annabeth more to stress about between all the things that were already wrong and whatever she wasn't telling me. But, it was as if something inside of me had finally lit the fuse and I couldn't take it anymore.

Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest tightly, keeping her eyes on mine. "What are you talking about?"

"You act like you don't want us to date anymore."

A wave of expressions crossed over Annabeth's face. It was as if she was just realize for the first time that this might have been the way I was feeling. "I can't believe you would even think that," she said, angrily. "Just because I'm going through-"

It was my turn to cut her off. I spoke over her, our voice cancelling each other's out in the intensity of the moment. "You haven't been telling me what you're going through! You're mumbling about Luke in your sleep, Annabeth, and the only think you have to say about it is that you don't want to talk about it."

She stared at me as if she couldn't believe I had the nerve to bring up his name, and I felt like it was a sensitive subject for her all over again. "Luke has nothing to do with this- with _us_."

"You obviously have a problem telling me about it," I said, raising my voice to match hers.

I had a feeling Annabeth was digging her fingernails into her arms. When she spoke, her voice was loud and shaky. "Percy, Luke is-"

She stopped midsentence, catching herself with whatever she was about to say. "Luke is dead, Annabeth!" I said, not realizing how harsh it sounded.

We were past screaming now. I didn't care what time it was or if we woke up the entire apartment building.

Annabeth was about to say something, when someone knocked on my bedroom door. Annabeth took in a sharp breath, and we both suddenly realized how loud we had gotten. I turned, trying to burry my anger and emotion of the fight as I called, "What?"

The door opened, revealing my concerned step father in the doorway. He was wearing his pajamas and he squint his eyes, obviously disturbed by the light. "What's going on?" he asked. "It's nearly two in the morning."

Both Annabeth and I stood in our places, not speaking. There were a million thoughts rushing through our minds and different emotions surging through both of our veins. Annabeth met my eyes, they were still fired up like mine, and a sharp look seemed to pass between us just for a second.

Without another word, Annabeth shoved past me, straight out into the hallway where I could hear her heading towards the bathroom.

I knew our argument was over no matter how unresolved it may have been. Taking in a breath, feeling the same anger, I walked straight out of my room, past Paul, to go to the couch.

**…...**

It wasn't surprising that I couldn't sleep that night.

I lay on the couch, the cushion under my head feeling too stiff, staring at the dark living room surrounding me. The light in my room had gone off a while ago and I knew Annabeth was trying to sleep the same way I was.

Finally, sighing, I threw my blanket off, sitting up and holding my head in my hands. I had always known that fighting Annabeth was a terrible feeling, but it never felt as bad as it did now.

I stood up, walking to the kitchen in the dark. The tile under my bare feet felt bitterly cold as I searched around for a glass, filling it up. Sipping the water, feeling the cool substance going through my body, usually calmed me. I leaned against the kitchen counter and for the first time that night my anger seemed to fade as I breathed.

I flashed back to a very strange memory from a year ago; it was something that I thought I had forgotten long ago. Annabeth and I stood on Half Blood Hill after returning from the Labyrinth. Back then, there was so much I wanted to tell her, much I needed to say to her but I couldn't work up the courage. Annabeth had walked away without looking back.

Tonight wasn't much different from that feeling on Half Blood Hill. I wanted to talk to Annabeth but she wasn't letting me in.

I wanted to tell Annabeth how much I cared about her or exactly how much she meant to me and always would. This winter I had planned on us finally being able to kick back together and forget about all the post-war tension. With us snowed in together, I expected us to be closer than ever, but the opposite was happening and I didn't have control anymore. I felt like Annabeth was growing distant even though she was just a few feet away from me down the corridor. The feeling hurt.

In the dark, I didn't realize when the water in my glass had begun swirling around like a miniature whirlpool. I loosened my grip around the glass, pouring the rest of the water down the drain before returning to the living room.

As I sat back down, there was another worry on my mind. I thought about if Rachel had left her dorm tonight or if she could hear monsters growling outside her windows.

When I really thought about it, I realized Rachel had been giving me as much to think about as Annabeth had tonight. Rachel was easy to talk to and an escape from all the tension. But, I didn't know what she was thinking a few months ago when she was being just at complicated. She had walked away without giving me any time to hold on; it was the story of our life. I thought about how Rachel had called me a _distraction_ now that she was the maiden Oracle or the way she had turned her back on me as we stood near the hearth at Olympus. I didn't know how Rachel had done it, but she had broken up with me before we ever officially dated. I had never thought about it before, but I couldn't help but feel a little sad.

The hollow feeling in my chest didn't leave when I tried to close my eyes, lying down. The exhaustion from all the worries and all the hurt seemed to take over when I let my dreams invade my thoughts.

That night I dreamed that Rachel was walking on her campus, towards the library. I wanted to tell her to watch out, to be careful, but I was nonexistent in the dream. The sense of a monster was vividly prominent around her.

I only heard Rachel's scream as my dream blurred. The next thing I knew, the monster was tearing Rachel apart. Its claws dug into Rachel's flesh as she tried to kick back.

Blood trickled, staining the scene. Rachel's punching and kicking barely scratched through the creature's scaly skin.

I felt like the Rachel in the monsters grasp seemed to drag on forever, playing itself over and over again. The next things seemed to happen in slow motion in my head.

Just for a while, the monster flinched back upon being swung at across the face by Rachel's hand. Rachel took the opportunity to run away as fast as she could.

The monster was faster.

It plunged at her.

I woke up abruptly, nearly sitting up. The morning sun was peaking into the living room through the heavy curtains. It was early dawn and I rubbed my eyes, knowing right then that I wasn't going to be able to get to sleep again.

Before I could think about what I had just dreamed, there was another thought congesting my brain. Horrible memories of just a few hours earlier filled me. My first thought that next morning was of Annabeth.

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**I hope this chapter was interesting and enough drama-filled. :) For questions, comments, or concerns please hit the review button below and I will be sure to reply. Your words will definitely motivate me to squeeze in a few more updates before school. None the less, I will do my very best to update soon.**


	11. Warm Forgiveness and more Goodbyes

The next day, tension sat in the air like an unwanted visitor.

Annabeth and I were barely speaking, looking away if we held each other's eyes for more than a few seconds.

Even though I was willing to stand by all the anger and frustration I had felt last night, it wasn't worth the feeling I had the next day.

My parents could have sensed the strained aura between us without even having heard all the fighting coming from my room last night. My mom seemed to know to leave it alone and I was silently grateful for that.

It was obvious that Annabeth and I weren't trying to ignore each other. We would find ourselves standing alone in the kitchen together or positioned across from each other in the living room, but neither one of us spoke. It was as if we were waiting for the other one to initiate the first words. There was still a silent battle going on and I was willing to surrender just to make the stress go away. We had both laid our armor down and it was time for the truce.

There were only so many ways to keep avoiding each other in a two bedroom apartment while we were snowed in, because that afternoon it felt like neither of us could take it anymore. We were going to talk one way or another, but I hadn't exactly planned on running into Annabeth in the corridor the way it happened.

I was walking towards my room as Annabeth walked back from the bathroom down our narrow hallway. Both of us seemed to stop in our tracks before we ran into each other. Annabeth was the first to break our gaze, looking at the blank wall next to her. A loose strand of hair fell forward from behind her ear and for the first time I noticed that she looked as if she hadn't gotten any more sleep than I had.

We stood there for a minute, avoiding each other's glances. I felt like needles were going through my entire body. I wasn't expecting it when Annabeth took a deep breath. Green met gray at the same time. Annabeth bit her lip. "Was that our first real fight?" she mumbled.

I found myself staring at her for a second before loosening myself. I gave her a small smile. "I think it was."

She held my eyes and it was enough to break the ice. I sighed, "Annabeth, listen-"

Annabeth shook her head before I could even start. "I have something to tell you," she said.

I blinked. "What is it?"

The longer we stood in the hallway, the more uneasy Annabeth seemed to get. There were different things swimming in gray eyes that I couldn't make sense of. When she realized she had trailed off, Annabeth seemed to collect herself quickly. "Never mind that, it can wait," she said, changing her mind. "But, I just want you to know that I thought about it."

"Thought about it?" I asked. "You mean about going to New Hampshire?"

Annabeth nodded.

There was another beat of silence before Annabeth spoke and I wasn't expecting what came next.

"I can't go with you," Annabeth said. When she saw the look on my face, she didn't wait for my response before beginning to explain herself. "You know I can't just get up and go to another state whenever I want. What if my dad found it? Besides, by law, I can't even leave the state without filing advanced notice while I'm attending this boarding school here."

"It's not like they're going to find out," I argued. "You can tell your dad-"

"It's not that simple," Annabeth said, cutting me off. "Trust me, I've thought about it. The last thing I want is for you to gone alone but I don't have a choice, Percy."

I saw the look on her face and knew that she had put in hours of thought into it. There was no reason Annabeth wouldn't want to come, especially not after our stupid fight when she accused Rachel of being my "ex-girlfriend".

Annabeth exhaled. "And, we can't forget about Nico. He could show up again at any given moment. He even left his sword in your room. There's no telling when he'll come back for it. Besides, someone needs to stay here and keep in touch with the camp about all of this."

There was a part of me that new she had a point, but I didn't want to admit it. I hadn't even thought of going up there alone, and now I knew I was going to have to take care of Rachel's monsters by myself.

I looked back at Annabeth, making a last desperate effort to propose anything to get her to change her mind. "It'll only take a few days," I reminded her. "We'll be back before anything happens."

"Percy," Annabeth said, her voice louder this time. "I can't go. You know that."

Those were the last words spoken about the matter before I finally took a deep breath. As much as every thought in my mind was repelling against the idea, I didn't want to argue. A part of me knew that it wasn't going to change things. "Alright," I finally said, watching Annabeth relax slowly.

It didn't take long for the day to progress after that. The sun sank behind the thick clouds across the Manhattan skyline quickly.

That evening, I folded my clothes, shoving them into a back pack. Annabeth sat on my bed, hugging her knees.

She barely spoke to me as I packed, even though I could feel her eyes following my hands. Besides the sound of clothes crinkling and the zipper on the back pack, a deep silence consumed the room. I couldn't tell if Annabeth was thinking or if she was just watching.

When I was done, I set the backpack aside, but Annabeth's eyes didn't move and I knew she was lost in her thoughts. Thin, light snow flakes could be seen coming down against the dark night sky from my window. It wasn't until the snow slowed down outside that I finally touched Annabeth's shoulder.

She looked startled glancing up at me, obviously brought out of her thoughts. "Did you finish packing?"

I didn't know if my face showed the concern I was feeling at that moment, but I sat down on the bed next to her. "Are you okay?" I asked, "Seriously?"

Annabeth didn't answer me, realizing quickly that I had been done a long time ago. Without really saying anything, she slid off the bed, going over to where her suitcase sat in the corner of my room. She knelt down, searching for something tucked underneath her clothes. When she came back to the bed, she was holding something in her hands wrapped in an old cloth.

I frowned as she handed it to me.

"Take it," Annabeth told me. "For Rachel, I mean."

Safely tucked inside was a celestial bronze blade. Its handle was large, decorated with ancient Greek writing and silver prints.

I looked back at Annabeth.

"It's an extra," she told me. "I remembered I had it in my luggage. You know, just in case."

"You want Rachel to have it?"

"It'll be easy for her to handle," Annabeth explained. "She needs something that can protect her against the monsters. Scratching and kicking won't hold them back for long."

I nodded slowly, wrapping the blade back in its cloth and finding room to put it on the bottom of the backpack.

When Annabeth sat back down on my mattress, I found myself looking at her. "Paul wants us to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Annabeth was staring out towards the window where the snowflakes had nearly stopped falling. "That's probably smart," she said. I couldn't read the tone in her voice but she almost sounded far away in a sense.

As I looked at her, my mind kept narrowing down on small details like how she had gotten her camp necklace back from her dorm. The glass beads seemed to sparkle as they hung against her collar bone.

I had to focus to realize that Annabeth was saying something when she spoke. "I think the airports are starting to re-open. My dad will probably want me home as soon as a flight to California shows up," she told me.

I tried not to let it show, but I had to admit it wasn't exactly the best thing to hear. Christmas was only a few weeks away and at this rate, she'd be spending it in San Fransico. Then I suddenly felt guilty for not being happier. After all, what Annabeth really wanted was to spend one normal Christmas with her father, and I couldn't stand in the middle of that. My throat felt dry when I said, "that's great."

**…...**

Paul was in the bedroom, putting together some last minute things for the trip.

It was the next morning and it felt way too early to be up and ready to drive out of state during a blizzard.

My mom tagged behind my stepfather down the hallway, reminding him to watch out for the icy streets and to call every few hours.

I wasn't expecting it when Annabeth pulled me aside from the doorway just a few minutes before we were getting ready to leave.

I saw the look on her face and immediately found myself asking, "What's wrong?"

Annabeth looked as if she had been fighting with herself. She gripped my arm lightly. "Do you remember the thing I needed to tell you yesterday?"

"What is it?" I asked, waiting for her to continue. Inside, a nervous feeling was suddenly beginning to boil.

Annabeth swallowed. "I think I might know why monsters are going after Rachel," she said told me.

It didn't take long before I was sure my eyes were wide. "_What_?"

"Listen," she said quickly, holding my arm tighter. "I'm not sure of it yet. It's just a theory."

"Tell me what it is."

My parents seemed to walk into the room no sooner than I had said that. Paul had the car keys in his hands as he went towards the shoe rack.

Annabeth let go of my arm, lowering her voice. "It can wait. I promise," she told me. "We'll talk about it once you get back."

From behind me, Paul began to open the door. "You ready?" he asked, noticing that Annabeth and I had our own conversation in whispers taking place.

Reluctantly, I broke my gaze with Annabeth trusting that she was telling the truth when she said it wasn't important to talk about right now. A bunch of thoughts sped through my head but I tried to swallow them down as I turned to the door.

Paul kissed my mother goodbye. "You guys will be fine home alone, right?" he asked, gesturing to Annabeth.

"We'll be fine." My mom said, turning to me. She touched my shoulder. "Just take care of what you need to. I expect you two home as soon as possible."

I nodded, promising my mom for the third time that I'd be safe. I knew it had taken Paul a lot of convincing to get my mom to agree with the idea of her son going to New Hampshire to handle monsters again. My invulnerability and the thought of helping Rachel seemed to win her over. My mom kissed head as I tried not to complain.

I realized Paul was already down the hallway, waiting by the elevator the next time I turned around. Still, standing in the doorway, I found myself looking at Annabeth.

She was quiet and it bothered me more than anything else. It felt weird leaving the house to take care of something monster-related without her. I had been so focused on the thought of Rachel's danger that I had barely thought about what it would feel like to leave Annabeth for a few days when we were supposed to be making the most of our winter break together.

For the first time in weeks, Annabeth stepped forward, hugging me. I didn't know what was making me hold on as she leaned into my chest, but for a second I didn't want to let go. Her hands moved down to my waist, sending a current up my spine. I told myself it was stupid, and that I'd be with her again in a few days as she pulled back. I expected her to say goodbye or wish me luck. Instead she said five words that seemed to stick in my head. "I'll Iris message you tonight."

After waving to my mom and Annabeth one last time from the corridor, Paul and I went down the elevator.

The air felt bitterly dry as we walked to Paul's Prius. The windows were frosted with thin ice and the interior of the car felt chillingly cold.

I threw my back pack in the back seat, getting in trough the passenger side door. Paul cranked up the heater as we watched the ice melt slowly, dripping down the glass. I didn't know where it came from, but I found myself turning to Paul. "Thank you," I said.

Paul looked just as surprised. When he realized what I meant, he seemed to smile slowly. "It's no problem. New Hampshire isn't too far. Besides, it's to help someone in a lot of trouble."

"Rachel hasn't been picking up her phone," I told my stepdad. "I texted her, but-"

"We'll get there by this evening at the latest," Paul assured me. "She'll be fine."

I didn't realize when the windshield had cleared or when Paul pulled out of the apartment parking lot into the crunching streets. As we drove, I found myself staring ahead with only one thought going through my mind. It was as if my brain had done a thorough reprogramming operation as I became more and more focused on the one goal in front of me. I couldn't let my brain think about anything else besides one fact.

Rachel needed my help. If my dreams had meant anything I knew that I had to get to her, and soon.

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	12. Dreadful Darkness and Undoable Kisses

**Thank you for clicking on another chapter of The Perfect Mistake. **

**It's time for some climax action, isn't it? Please read, enjoy, and absorb. I'll be waiting for you at the bottom of the chapter. ^_^**

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The evening was dark and Paul clicked on the high beam lights as we curved around Clarion Academy's entrance.

Thick fog suffocated the air all around us and muddy snow crunched underneath the tires as we pulled up to the school's gates. Paul stopped the car, looking over at me as if this was my stop.

"What?" I asked.

Paul glanced in the rearview mirror. "I think it's best if you get off here. In this kind of weather and these tight roads, it may take a little longer than usual to find the visitors parking. You go ahead, I'll meet you there."

The entire car ride, I had been more than determined to finally get here and ensure Rachel's safety. Now, as I stared at the steps leading inside Rachel's school, I could help but feel an uneasy awareness spreading quickly through my body. I gripped the handle on the car door, nodding to Paul once before stepping outside on to the side walk of the building. "Good Luck," Paul said.

The cold air came at me almost immediately as I watched my stepfather's car slowly skid away down the street. My breath looked like small clouds in front of me and the dryness of the cold sky almost stung at my skin.

All around me, a blur of darkness and frost enveloped me as I made my way up the steps. Even as I was walking into the building, I had the feeling that something was watching me. The eyes of various monsters lurking in the shadows followed me all the way inside. But, for some reason, they weren't attacking. Behind me, the low growling of a creature sounded through the silent night as I pulled the school doors closed behind me.

It didn't take me long after that to gain authorization at the front desk, submitting my driver's license and listing my relationship to Rachel as _Other_. I went through the school halls, making my way down to the far end of the building where the dorms were. Royal red carpeting and dim lights made up the hallways as I looked for Rachel's room number on the doors as I passed.

When I found Rachel's room, I took a deep breath. Before my hand could even touch the door as I prepared to knock, the door flew open in a rush.

In front of me, Rachel Elizabeth Dare stood in her pajamas. Her red hair, looking like a blazing flame in the darkness of the corridor, hung loose around her face and her eyes were opened wide. Rachel pulled me inside quickly, shutting the door in a hurry.

"How'd you know I was here?" I asked her once she double locked the door.

"I had a feeling," she mumbled.

Now, as Rachel and I stood in the middle of her room, I really looked at her. Rachel had a faint scar running down her arm, just above her elbow and a smaller scratch below her collar bone. The scars were in the exact same place as where the monsters had scratched her in my dreams and terrible memories suddenly flooded me. I found myself pushing away the thoughts, trying to be thankful that Rachel was actually standing in front of me in one piece.

I met Rachel's eyes. "Are you okay?"

Standing there, Rachel did something that surprised me. She hugged me. I saw weakness in her eyes as she shut them tightly, leaning in to me. The sound of footsteps and creaking noises sounded from outside as I held her.

Rachel was talking, but I could only make out half of the words as tried to catch her breath. "I'm just really happy you made it here. I was scared. I knew- I just had a feeling that something bad was going to happen tonight. They're waiting-"

I tried to quiet Rachel. "Slow down," I told her. "Who's waiting?"

"The monsters," Rachel shrieked. "They've been quiet all day. It's like their gathering their energy for one huge attack. I can't- I can't keep…" her voice trailed off, threatening to crack.

As Rachel hugged me, she did something else I wasn't expecting. Rachel broke down.

I thought about everything she had gone through in these past weeks with a few monster sightings to fully fledged attacks. She had been keeping a confident face on, going on with her life despite everything that was tearing her down, and now she couldn't take it anymore. Rachel didn't even have family here, and most of the students had left. She was alone.

My mind started seizing on little things like the way there were two twin beds in the room, one of them neatly made and the other one covered in clothes and papers. Half of the room looked untouched, probably ever since Rachel's roommate left. On Rachel's side of the room, a few drawings made on scratch paper were thumbed tacked on to the walls. The sketches weren't abstract and colorful ones like I was used to seeing with Rachel's style of art. Instead, the pictures that she had drawn were dark and ominous, leaving me to only try and imagine how much of a toll this was taking on her.

Rachel stepped away from me, sniffing and trying hard not to cry. I wanted to comfort her, but I knew the only way I could make things better was to kill each and every monster within a mile's worth of distance from Rachel. I felt riptide in my jeans pocket, suddenly feeling the urge to uncap it and take care of all the monsters I had witnessed near the school's entrance.

Rachel took me out of thoughts. "I'm just glad you're here," she said.

We sat down on the edge of her bunk as Rachel grabbed a tissue. "You don't have to worry now," I tried to tell her. "I'll handle the monsters. They won't be able to get to you anymore."

Rachel shook her head. "That's what I'm saying, Percy. It's been weird. When I called you, the monsters were attacking me everywhere. I couldn't leave my room. But, these past few days, they've gotten quiet. They aren't attacking. It's like they're waiting for something."

What Rachel was telling me concerned me more than I let show. I had felt in power, being able to physically eliminate the problem, and now it was becoming more about understanding what was causing this. It was something I had no control over. "I'll do whatever I can," I promised her.

Rachel looked grateful and for the first time in weeks, I saw a little bit of the same Rachel that used to be my cheerful best friend. "I can't believe you actually managed to make it here," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to make Paul and you drive all the way here. It's just that, when I called you-"

"You weren't safe. I get it, Rachel. You did the right thing by calling me," I assured her. I looked at the scratch just nearly above Rachel's heart. "You haven't been telling me entire story," I said. "You don't have to hide it."

Rachel stared at the wall. She spoke after a long time. "It's just that…I didn't expect to feel so weak."

"You're _not_ weak." I said. "It's okay if you can't fight monsters, you were never meant to-"

It surprised me when Rachel cut me off. "Don't talk about what was_ meant_ to happen," she said. "Fate and destiny…everything I had believed in before this, it isn't real anymore."

I frowned slowly. "What do you mean?"

Rachel almost sounded bitter. "When I became the Oracle, Percy, I thought it was always what was _meant_ to happen. I thought that after I did this, the feeling I always had that told me something was missing would go away. I thought I was fulfilling my purpose."

I watched Rachel closely. "And you're saying that you were wrong."

"I'm saying," Rachel swallowed, "that I don't know what was _meant to be_. It's not even about the monsters anymore. It's just this feeling I've had lately."

I didn't know where it was coming from, but inside of me a rush of thoughts and memories tangled themselves until I was sure I felt my heart going faster than it had been before. I suddenly felt worked up as I sat there listening to what Rachel was saying. There were thoughts and emotions coming out that I had never let bother me before the way they were bothering me as I sat there. I thought about everything that had been keeping me awake these past few nights between Annabeth and Rachel. "You seemed pretty sure of what was _meant to be_ on Olympus," I said, not realizing if it came out harshly.

Rachel glanced at me, her face staring back at me in confusion. "On Olympus?" Rachel repeated as if she was only starting to remember.

"All of this started because you came to warn me," I reminded her. "The agreement with your dad about going to Clarion Academy, it was so you could leave vacation and come to the war grounds."

Rachel shook her head like it was a bad memory. "Can you blame me for wanting to help you?" she asked as if I was blaming it all on her for making the agreement with her dad in the first place to come to this school. I knew Rachel could hear the sudden change of tone in my voice, and she was growing more defensive.

"That's not what I'm saying," I told her. "Back then, you felt completely different. What's making you change your mind now?"

She kept staring at me like she didn't know what I was getting at.

I didn't know where our conversation had taken a wrong turn or when things had gotten heated. Everything from the past week finally seemed to be pushing at me.

Frustration was rising through me quickly and I didn't know why. I had kept these thoughts in the back of my mind for so long that I never knew they actually hurt. I found myself remembering back to a few months ago. The memories were still fresh and clear in my mind. "_I thought I was coming for you. But I wasn't_." I said, repeating Rachel's words from our very last conversation up on Olympus. "You said you were drawn to me because I opened the doors for you. You wanted to understand your true sight."

Although Rachel kept her eyes on me steadily, she was pleading with me to stop. "Percy, I was wrong-"

I kept going. "You said _we_ weren't a part of it. Our fates weren't intertwined."

Rachel had tears in her eyes. "I already told you I was wrong. You win, Percy. The one and only thing I tried to do in my life and be sure of, and it turns out I messed up."

"It's much bigger than messing up," I said, feeling like a cold rod was poking me. "You threw out any chance we ever had, Rachel. You're the one who broke it off. I thought that's what you wanted. You can't sit here now and tell me you were _wrong _or that you don't believe in fate anymore after you based everything we had on it. It doesn't work that way."

"Then what do you want me to say?"

"I need you to tell me why you did it."

Rachel breathed sharply. "Why I did what?"

"If you knew you weren't sure about becoming the Oracle, accepting something so big, why'd you do it?"

"I never said I wasn't sure about that-"

"You're saying that now-"

"I didn't-"

"Tell me."

Rachel stood up abruptly. "Because I needed to let you go, okay?" Her voice cracked, leaving silence running through the room.

I stood up after Rachel, feeling a weight on my chest. "What?"

Rachel wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm not saying that's why I became the Oracle or why I accepted such a big responsibility," she sniffed. "But, I let you leave on the hearth of Olympus like that because I needed to let you go, Percy. You and Annabeth; I couldn't come in between something like that. I _had_ to break it off."

I felt like there was a lump in my throat as I stared back at Rachel. "Then, I need to know something," I said steadily. "Have you let go?"

Outside, through the window, the sounds of owls howling and winter birds chirping through the night sounded. In the back of my mind, I hoped my stepfather hadn't gotten stuck in the ice and I wondered where he was.

Rachel's face was just as flushed as mine as I waited for her to speak. I didn't know what had made me ask the question or if it was something I had been asking myself lately. Whatever the case was, I was nowhere near expecting what came next.

Rachel kissed me.

For a second, her lips seemed to spark against mine, sending a tinge of electricity running through my entire body. She was holding onto my shirt with both hands, and I was too shocked to react. All I knew was that this was different from the time she had kissed me back in Manhattan before I flew off into the sky on Blackjack just a second later. This time, Rachel wasn't pulling away.

There was a complete mess of thoughts, panic, and worries swirling through me as I let it happen.

When Rachel finally stepped back, removing her hands from me, she had the same exact fear in her eyes like she couldn't believe what she had just done.

Before either of us could speak, a sound came from next to us. It might have been as prominent as a gasp or as quiet as someone pulling in a short breath. I couldn't remember because my brain seemed to lose all functioning ability at what I saw next.

Beside us, there was mist so thin that you could reach out and feel it on your skin. Through the transparent film of fog, an image had put itself together. Annabeth stood, just as motionless as me, with gray eyes that were wide and glassy.

Five words seemed to screech sharper than nails on a chalkboard as they came to me. _I'll Iris message you tonight._ They were Annabeth's words.

"Wait," I said, my throat feeling like it was on fire. I could barely speak. "Annabeth, no-"

Annabeth's image through the iris message faded quickly until it wasn't there anymore.

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	13. Uncontrollable Feelings and New Babies

**I'm sorry for taking much longer than usual to get this posted, especially since I left with a cliff hanger. Just as I predicted, school has consumed me. **

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**Please read on.**

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There was a hollow feeling inside of me that I couldn't shake off no matter what I did.

I could have counted every beat in my ribcage or every pulsating throb in my head from the minute I had left Rachel's room. The car ride was a blur of slippery ice polished on black streets and flashes of red and green as we finally made it to the hotel Paul had arranged.

The fresh scent of linens and dull yellow lights in the small room made my head hurt even more as we entered. As lame as it sounded, all I really wanted to do was isolate myself in a dark corner and try to get the millions of thoughts stabbing at my brain to subside. I couldn't even think and the sinking feeling in my chest was only getting worse.

I barely realized it when Paul had shut the door behind us, putting a hand on my shoulder. His voice slowly reminded me of what was really going on. "You okay?" Paul asked me, carefully. His eyebrows were raised in confusion and concern. "You haven't said a word the whole ride. What happened in there?"

Each and every thought seemed to hammer against my head as it slowly broke through the barrier my mind had created after everything that had happened. It was as if I was suddenly reliving every feeling.

I remembered the way Rachel's lips had felt on mine; the way they weren't Annabeth's lips. I remembered small pools of tears welling up in Rachel's eyes, and how she had blinked them away for me almost immediately. All over again, I could see the mess of a thin layer of mist and a shattered picture slowly dissolving as the Iris Message was swept away in one swipe.

Rachel and I had barely exchanged any words after that. She seemed startled, and my brain was too jammed to act. I had pushed my way out of the room, shoving past Paul in the hallway without giving him an explanation, and here we were.

My stepfather's eyes bore into mine as I stared at him. "What happened?" Paul repeated. "Is Rachel okay?"

I felt like the earth was being pulled from underneath my feet. "We have to get home," I said. "Annabeth…"

"Slow down," Paul told me, stopping me from trailing off. "I thought you wanted to come here to help out Rachel. What's all this talk about needing to get home to Annabeth? We just made it here."

The storm of thoughts in my mind voiced themselves involuntarily as I spoke in a single breath. "What went on in that room tonight with Rachel was never supposed to happen and even if it was, Annabeth was _not_ supposed to see it."

It took Paul a second before I knew his mind was trying to make sense of any of as much of that as it could. Paul didn't ask questions, and I was grateful for that. He took my backpack from me, taking some of the weight off from my back. "Relax," he tried to tell me, hoping I would loosen up. "We can go home in the morning. Survive till then. It won't help if you're not breathing."

The TV playing quietly in the background was the only sound in the room after I had pulled myself together enough to get into some clothes for the night. Two beds with side tables, a desk, a mini fridge next to a coffee maker, and a closet furnished the hotel room. The walls on one side of room were dark, with only dull light from the lamps brightening the other side as I sat on a comfortable chair next to the window. I knew I wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

Now that I had moved on from my initial state of complete panic, thoughts slowly moved through my head. Thousands of worries came at me one at a time. I didn't know what Rachel had thought of me leaving so abruptly, barely saying a word to her. I could only imagine that all the incomplete feelings were swirling around inside of her the same way they poked at me right now.

I knew I was dodging all around the idea of what bothered me the most, until I finally worked up the courage to face it. I could suddenly remember the sense of the mist rising while Rachel had been kissing me. That was when Annabeth's iris message had clicked in. I remembered the numb look in glassy gray eyes and the way it seemed like something had suddenly at struck her like a blade jabbed in her stomach. A pang hit me each time I tried to imagine what Annabeth might have been going on in Annabeth's mind. I didn't know what she would be thinking.

Beyond anything else, I knew there was no way Annabeth would talk to me no matter how many times I tried. Not yet. I would have to wait till tomorrow morning and each dreading minute that passed until then would slowly be consuming me.

Paul came out of the bathroom, ready for bed. He looked tired from all the driving and only seconds away from being knocked out. I wasn't expecting it when he came over to sit down on the chair opposite of me. He seemed to sigh, leaning forward. "You're not going to sleep are you?"

I shook my head.

Paul met my eyes. "You want to talk about it?"

It wasn't everyday that I had a father figure to look to. I knew Paul was doing his best, but a part of me suddenly felt like the last thing I wanted was to sit here and talk about my problems. I already accepted the disaster that was to come and that nothing would be in my control until I was standing face to face with Annabeth again.

"Tell me what happened," Paul said, in another attempt to talk to me.

Everything that had been suppressed deep down was suddenly bubbling out as if there wasn't space for it anymore. I had bigger worries to deal with like how the Hades I was ever going to be able to explain this to Annabeth, rather than all the other little things I had been pushing away for the past few months. Maybe it was just my mind begging for a distraction, but it all finally seemed to be coming out. I ignored Paul's attempts, finding myself saying, "Are you and Mom seriously having a baby?"

Paul looked caught off guard. The sleep seemed to jump out of his eyes quickly. "What do you mean?"

There was a silence, with even the TV going black for a few seconds and I had a feeling Paul quickly realized that I hadn't been totally oblivious to the signs and their talks. There was a long pause before it was clear that my question wasn't going to disappear. Paul took a deep breath. "We're thinking about it," he admitted. "But, I guess I didn't think about asking how you felt. It wouldn't be right if we didn't ask you first."

I stared at the dark red curtains drawn across the large windows in the room. A part of me had been hoping this wasn't real, and it was all too much take in now.

Paul watched me closely. "Does it bother you?"

I looked at my stepdad. "Does Mom want it?"

He nodded slowly. "She does," Paul said softly. "It's something we've talked about for a while now. I would never suggest something as life-changing as another child without your mother's initial consent, Percy."

Although his words were reassuring, I found myself flashing back to everything my mom and I had been through before Paul came into our lives. I thought about how miserable Gabe had made my mom and how she had learned to live with the abuse. I never wanted to see it happen again. "Mom doesn't need to go through something like this."

"I know you're worried about her," Paul said, trying to make sense of what I was saying. "But, I'm not lying to you when I say it's something _she_ wants. Your mom feels that it will be good for all of us, and mostly for _you_. Maybe having another addition in the house will let us pay more attention to our own family. She thinks that's something you need- a new beginning now that things are settling down."

A part of me was trying to think straight with all the raging things going on inside of my head. I leaned back. "Things aren't _settling down_," I said, not knowing where all the thoughts were coming from suddenly. "I don't need someone to come into this world and have to put up with all the crap that comes along with being a part of my life. Things are never okay around me; if not now, something horrible is going to happen soon and I can't keep watching the people around me suffer because of that."

Paul looked as if he was still trying to understand where I was coming from. Every time the topic of my parents and another baby had come up, I had been shutting out my own thoughts so even _I_ didn't know what was bothering me. My mind seemed to be exposing itself all at once as we sat there. Paul shook his head slowly. "You're not hurting anyone by all the crazy things that happen. I don't know if you're aware of this, Percy, but you'd be a great big brother. Why wouldn't you want that?"

"I won't be a good big brother," I said, frustrated and tired of hearing it over and over. "Not with everything that's going on right now."

"What's going on right now?" Paul asked, the same concern still present on his face. "Talk to me."

I felt ready to explode. My ADHD got ahead of me when I blurted out my mind without realizing it. "The monsters coming from the underworld can't be killed if they won't attack. I can't help Rachel this way. There's a bigger problem somewhere. Rachel and I kissed tonight, and Annabeth saw it. Annabeth's been thinking about Luke lately and catching me cheating on her doesn't help. Nico's suicidal. Oh, and, you guys are having a baby."

Paul blinked, and I immediately felt stupid for dumping everything out on him.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Paul looked like he was still trying to process everything. "I had no idea that…How did-" I watched him my step dad look for words. He finally sighed, giving up on asking questions. "I don't know much about monsters and the Underworld but you need to stop trying to fix this on your own. For Rachel's safety, you need to get help. Same with Nico. And about Annabeth-"

"I don't want to talk about that," I said, cutting him off. The curtains looked ten times redder in the dark with the night sky hidden behind the cloth as I stared at them.

Paul breathed. "I know it's scary for you to think about a new sibling. It scares us, too. I was hoping we could all go through it together as a family."

"It's scary, but that's not it," I said, trying to make sense of my own thoughts now that my head seemed a little bit more cleared. "It's not about me," I told Paul honestly. "I just want mom to be happy."

Paul gave me a serious look. There was something on his face that I had only seen once before in Poseidon's eyes. "I'm going to keep your mom happy, Percy. I love her _and_ you," Paul said. "I mean it."

A blue light, probably from a helicopter passing by, peeked through the curtains, brightening the room for just a second. I wanted to thank Paul, but I didn't know what to say.

Paul wasn't finished because he leaned forward in his seat. "I know the last thing you want to hear is someone trying to give you advice. It's an understatement to try and say I was sixteen once too because the things you're going through are way passed me," he admitted. "But, I know you and Annabeth. You're going to be miserable if you let her slip."

My throat was suddenly dry. An uncomfortable chill brushed past me, almost making me shiver as I stared at Paul. "What should I do?"

"You made a mistake," Paul said. "Fix it."

…

The next morning, my finger tips felt cold as I dialed my mom's cell phone number for the second time. There was a slow tone on the other end that pierced right through me as I waited, wondering why no one was picking up at home.

A muffled voice finally answered. "Hello?"

"Mom, it's me," I said. "Where are you?"

"Oh, Percy! Did you and Paul make it up there safely? Are you at the hotel? Rachel's okay, right? Did you-"

"Mom," I tried to say, through all of her questions. There was a silence when I finally had her attention. "Mom, how's Annabeth?"

I could hear my mom breathe slowly through the phone and uneasiness was suddenly crawling through my veins. "I'm not sure what to tell you, Percy. I don't want you to worry, but I'm not entirely sure of what happened with her. She was really eager to get back down to her dorm last night. She asked me to give her a ride to the airport later tonight."

"The airport?" I asked, feeling like ice was freezing over on each and every nerve in my body.

"Yes, honey. The weather's a lot better so her father booked the first ticket to California that came up." My mom probably had a bad feeling about my sudden silence because she quickly added, "But, that's okay, right? You guys already talked about her visiting her family for Christmas. I know you won't get a chance to properly see her off, but she'll be back in a couple of weeks-"

"I have to go, Mom," I said.

I could hear my mom's concerned voice speaking through the receiver in my hand, but I was barely able to pay attention. "Percy, are you alright? You didn't tell me about your drive up there or the monsters you went to take care of. Is everything alright?"

A part of me wanted to scream that absolutely nothing was right. I wanted to tell her not to drive Annabeth to the airport, but I couldn't do that. I gripped the phone in my hands tightly. "Yeah," I said. "Paul will call you later. I'm coming back."

"Coming back?" She asked in confusion. "You mean back home? Already?"

"Wait for me," I said, before hanging up. "Please."

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**I'll try my best not to let the next update take as long as this one. There's more Rachel/Percy/Annabeth action to come, I promise. ^_^**

**Your reviews and thoughts are really needed. Please click below?**


	14. Bittersweet Closure and Painful Names

**So…I realize that this late of an update is kind of unacceptable. I'm extremely sorry for taking this long. To put it simply, an uncountable number of things have happened in my life this past month, and I'm just beginning to escape from them. Thank you to everyone who kept asking for this update and for all of those who have waited for this. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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I didn't know what I was thinking when I told Paul to pull up to Clarion Academy on our way back to Manhattan. Ice crunched underneath the wheels of the car as we pulled up to the curb of the building.

"How long do I have before the rush hour starts?"

Paul gave me an assuring look. "Take your time. We checked out of the hotel early enough to avoid most of the traffic. We'll make it home," Paul promised. "You'll see Annabeth."

When I stepped out into the cold, it looked like streaks of dawn were still painted across the sky. I could feel a weight growing heavier and heavier in my pocket as I walked along the side of the building. It felt like eyes were watching me the whole way down the alley as I went towards the gates.

Even out in the morning light, the same dreary feeling surrounded Rachel's school, and I didn't realize there were monsters in the shadow of the building until their red eyes glowed through the dark. I found myself stopping in my tracks, suddenly aware of all the creatures that were pacing the alleys. It was just like before – they didn't attack.

A low growling pierced against the sounds of cars on the streets as I watched a pair of blazing eyes observing me carefully. I pulled out Riptide, uncapping it as it transformed in my hands. The glow of the celestial bronze lit the alley, throwing light on the creatures. The growling stopped and flaming eyes died down as the monsters retreated farther into the shadows.

I didn't know what the monsters were waiting for, but whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be good.

I put Riptide away, clearing my head before stepping inside the school and making my way down to the dorms. When I reached Rachel's room, this time the doors didn't fly open.

Rachel didn't come to the door until minutes after I had knocked. When she stood in front of me in the doorway, I realized she was still in her pajamas and a loose sweatshirt. Strands of red hair lay around her face, and her eyes looked puffy from crying. It looked like she had stayed up all night.

"You okay?" I asked her quietly.

Rachel looked surprised to see me. "Y-yeah," she stuttered. "Yeah, I'm okay." She stepped aside, letting me enter before she closed the door. Inside, her dorm was dark with all the lights turned off. The comforter and pillow were on the floor, and it looked as if some of her sketches had been ripped off of the walls.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts. She rubbed her eyes and brushed her hair back, obviously unprepared for any kind of company. She looked as if the last thing she would have expected was to see me again.

"I don't know," I told her honestly. "But I'm heading back to New York today. I need to get home."

Rachel nodded slowly in understanding. She stared at the floor uncomfortably as if she couldn't even bring herself to look at me without feeling embarrassed and guilty.

For a second, a silence that screamed louder than the sirens consumed the air between us. It was a silence that was all too familiar; it was as if the fates themselves were suppressing Rachel and me, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Listen," I said, making Rachel look at me. "I came here to help you. I didn't plan on any of this happening, and-"

"I'm sorry," Rachel mumbled. I thought back to last night and how everything had started between Rachel's bitterness and my frustration about the past. Not to mention all the things that were happening to us in our lives right now. I thought about how Rachel had kissed me, catching me off guard.

"It's not your fault," I said without realizing what I meant.

Rachel met my eyes hesitantly. "I kissed you," Rachel stated, her voice trembling as if she was reminding me of a sin. "You're with Annabeth. I never meant to hurt her or try to take you away from her. I just – I don't know what I was thinking."

I watched Rachel run her fingernails across her arms. She looked like she was in pure agony trying to understand her own thoughts as she spoke. I didn't know where it was coming from, but I found myself cutting in. "Whether Annabeth saw it or not," I said carefully, "it still happened. It was going to happen."

Emerald green iced around Rachel's eyes as she stared at me. "What do you mean?"

I felt like thousands of needles were piercing into my skin as I thought about it. "Maybe it was something we needed."

Rachel stared at me. I wasn't sure if I had just acknowledged that the kiss wasn't one-sided or if I was telling her that it would have happened one way or another. But, as I stood there, my thoughts clawing at every part of my body, I felt completely helpless. Rachel swallowed, before speaking. "All I know is that last night… I needed to know if this was really destiny; if we really weren't meant to be."

I didn't know when our voices had died down to whispers as if we were scared the walls were listening. I admitted, "I needed to make sure there wasn't anything left between us."

Rachel's eyes were glossy, threatening to shatter as she took it in. "And?" she asked, quietly. "Did you get your answer?"

I found myself nodding. "It hurt," I said. "When you left me on Olympus, I mean. You never gave us a chance. I didn't want to keep wondering what would have happened if you hadn't become the Oracle, Rachel." Inside, a part of me was burning as if I had swallowed a match. Standing there, I was admitting things that I had never even let myself grasp before. "When you kissed me last night, I couldn't think of anything else besides Annabeth."

From the window, a ray of sunlight poured in as if the clouds had rearranged themselves in the sky. The dull darkness returned just a second later.

"It didn't feel right," Rachel said, finally speaking. "I wanted to belong my whole life, Percy. Being the Oracle – burdening something so important – it made me feel useful. It keeps me connected to this world. I can't let it go."

The floor suddenly seemed like the most intriguing thing in the world as we stood there, a heavy silence returning between us. I shifted on my feet. "So what are we saying?"

Rachel took a deep breath. "I thought I loved you. But, it doesn't matter. It isn't fate, Percy. I'm going to be the Oracle. It's the only thing I know I was meant to do in my lifetime."

My eyes locked in with Rachel's. "We're letting go," I said, my voice barely audible. "Anything we had – it's gone, Rachel."

I watched Rachel shut her eyes tightly. I didn't know who moved first of when it happened, but the next thing I knew, I was holding Rachel in my arms for what seemed like the last time. There was a sad smile behind the tears on Rachel's face when we pulled away. "Thank you," Rachel said. "For coming here, I mean."

A weight became heavy in my pocket again, and I suddenly remembered the monsters and how the problems hadn't ended just yet. I carefully tugged out an object wrapped in cloth, handing it to Rachel. "It's from Annabeth," I said. "You need to protect yourself."

Rachel unwrapped the item, revealing the bronze blade of a dagger. "Celestial Bronze," she said, running her fingers along the surface. "I've never used one of these before."

"Hopefully you won't have to," I told her. "The monsters aren't attacking. Something's going to happen, and I need to figure it out before it does. There's no other way to do this besides contacting the Underworld and involving the camp. It's not just your problem anymore, Rachel."

Rachel looked like she wanted to protest, but then she gripped the knife tightly in her fingers. "As long as you don't tell them I cried and asked you to come here like I was some sort of child needing protection."

I couldn't help but smile slowly. "Be careful," I reminded her. "Stay away from the shadows and the dark; use the knife if you need to. I'm going to figure this out and get help, Rachel. Keep me updated."

Rachel nodded quickly; the same brave look that I was used to filled her face. "You should go. We'll stay in touch."

I found myself pausing, realizing just how much of a goodbye this was, even though I'd see Rachel again. As I left, there was a part of me that I was leaving with me.

"Thank you," Rachel said from the doorway as I walked out, "for everything."

When I walked out into the cold, making my way to Paul's car in the distance, I expected to feel a tinge of sadness. The sky had cleared, brightening into daylight through the fog. I was walking away from my red-headed nightmare without any lingering regrets. It was feeling I wasn't used to.

One name rung louder in my ears than it ever had before. Every inch of my body yearned to be in Manhattan, closer to one person so I could make things right. A fire bearing the worse type of fear, desperation, and vulnerability burned inside of me. All I could think about was the need to fix things with the one person I cared about over everything else in the universe at the moment.

Paul was just hanging up on his cell phone when I entered the car. He looked nervous as he glanced over at me.

"What?" I asked, even before he could question me about Rachel.

Paul sighed. "I just spoke to your mother, Percy. It looks like Annabeth has a flight home for this evening. They're on their way to the airport."

Every part of me burned as if I was sitting in flames. "I have to see her," I said, my voice trailing off.

My step-dad looked concerned as he stared back at my absent state. He turned the car keys in the ignition, taking a breath before gripping the steering wheel. "If we're lucky," Paul said, "you can catch them at the airport."

As we drove, inching down the slushy streets, I was sure that I couldn't have thought straight even if I tried. All I knew was that I could see a single name spelled out across the sky every time I blinked.

Annabeth.

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**Thanks for reading. The next update hopefully will **_**not**_** take as long as this one did. And of course, it really is your reviews that encourage me to write. Every word means so much. Please click the review button below? :)**


	15. Busy Airports and Last Words

**Greetings everyone! :) I hope you all had a great holiday season. Please accept this update as a late Christmas gift. ^_^**

**Before you dive into the chapter, I'd like to provide one note- as Poseidon once advised, "_Brace Yourself_."**

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Slushy snow, blinking lights, security guards, and the feeling of goodbyes filled the air the moment we pulled into the airport.

Paul's car slugged inch by inch through the jam of vehicles crowding the entrance as police officers irritably rushed drivers through the jam. I wasn't fully aware of anything except for the thoughts inside my head that raged just as loudly as the commotion of sirens and traffic outside.

"We'll be lucky if we're able to catch them by the checking in counter," Paul said, pulling me out of my daydream.

It wasn't long before I realized we were parked in one of the airport's underground levels and I was already stepping outside. The cold air was like a blade on my skin and my fingertips were already numb. It was as if my body was on auto-pilot. It was going to keep moving until I found Annabeth one way or another.

Inside Manhattan's large airport, a swarm of people filled the area, reminding me somewhat of a woman's department store during the last few minutes of a sale. Paul stayed close behind me as we made it through crowds of people shoving and pushing, trying to get checked in.

With the airport just having been re-opened and so many families eager to catch their flight just before Christmas, the airport was the busiest I had ever imagined it. It was like an icicle was jabbing my ribs over and over as I realized how difficult it would be to even catch a glimpse of my mother or Annabeth through all the chaos if we were lucky enough to locate them.

Paul had his cell phone to his ear, and I followed him as he led us down past all the different desks for various airlines. Down by the very last counter was when someone caught my eye. Even from the distance, I could pick out my mother's figure.

My mom flipped her own cell phone closed as we approached her. She seemed worn with her hair in a tangle, looking like she had been on the run all morning. It only took her one glance at my face to immediately pull me into a hug. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," my mom said slowly. "I had to let Annabeth go. Her father wanted her on a plane this morning. If I could have made her wait, I would have."

My throat suddenly felt dry as if someone had just made me swallow a blow of air. "She left?"

"She's still in the airport," my mom explained. "But, she's on her way, Percy. We just confirmed her ticket and sent her through to her gates. It's too late to say goodbye."

Before it could really sink in, Paul called my name. He had walked further down row of desks, motioning us over. Behind one of the ticked desks, after a series of cones and _No Entry_ markings, the security section of the airport was clearly in view. I wasn't sure what Paul was trying to show me, but my mind immediately been seizing in on the line of passengers waiting to walk through the metal detectors.

When I saw her, it was as if every nerve under in my skin tightened.

Annabeth was only the subject of my eyes for a second before someone walked in front of her, blocking my view. Flashes of blond hair and a small suitcase told me that she stood somewhere in the middle of the quickly progressing line.

From behind me, I was very aware of both of my parents talking to me. "It's no use, honey," my mom's voice spoke sadly above the chatter all around me. "Let her be on her way."

"It'll work out," Paul reminded me, patting my shoulder. "You'll have plenty of chances to get in touch with her when she comes back."

Their voices seemed to pass right through me, my brain refusing to grasp or interpret any of it. It was as if the entire world around me blurred, except for where I was staring. The noise of the airport and the people all around me seemed to fade. I could only watch from a distance as Annabeth moved forward, taking off her wrist watch as she put it on the conveyer belt.

I wasn't in control of my body anymore, feeling like a flame was slipping right through the center of my chest. The next time I moved, everything seemed to happen faster than a flash. I pushed forward, past the security lines.

Inside, it was as if a surge of energy was tugging at the core of my body, summoning the request of the gods, the power of the Mist, and every last ounce of hope I had.

There was a small roar of commotion as impatient passengers cursed at me for cutting them in line, but I barely looked back until I had reached Annabeth. When she saw me, gray eyes opened wider than the moon.

It was only after I had grabbed her wrist, gently tugging her to the side, that I realized I was creating a scene. Behind us, I could see Paul trying to calmly negotiate with a security guard, who looked somewhat oblivious, and I prayed that mist would suffice. The eyes of passengers watched us curiously.

Annabeth yanked her arm out of my grip, pulling me back into reality. "What are you doing?" she hissed, a glare fixed on me steadily.

"I need to talk to you."

Annabeth stared at me as if I was out of my mind. "You're supposed to be in New Hampshire right now."

"I left, Annabeth. _This_ is more important," I said. "Why are you leaving? Why now?"

I watched her body stiffen. "I have a family to get home to. You can't just show up at the airport an hour before my flight, walk past the security lines like you're some maniac, and then expect me to talk to you."

"_Please_," I said, not even knowing where the word had come from, "just listen." My eyes bore into Annabeth's, and for a second, I felt like she gave in.

Annabeth took a deep breath, looking back to my parents in the distance, then to me. "There's nothing to talk about," Annabeth claimed. "I have a plane to catch."

Standing there, I had never felt more helpless. A million different thoughts raged inside of me, clogging my memory of words that needed to be said. The only thing that came out of my mouth were two small words that had been screaming in my head over and over from the second I had seen Annabeth's face through the iris message in Rachel's dorm room. _"I'm sorry."_

When she stared back at me, it was as if I could see every streak of smoky gray that rimmed Annabeth's eyes. Green locked into gray, and neither one of us could speak. Even with the all the noise all around us, it felt like the heaviest kind of silence I had ever heard was settled in between our gaze.

Annabeth was the first to look away, fixing her eyes on the ground in a way I had never seen her do before. Standing there, I couldn't tell if she was angry or upset. She wasn't trying to hide her emotions or hold back. At the same time, I knew there wasn't even a single emotion-reading satyr in the world that could have read her. It was as if she was simply burned out of any type of expression.

"What happened is done," she stated steadily.

"Look," I began saying, "it wasn't like that, I swear. I can explain, Annabeth-"

"I don't want to hear it," Annabeth said, cutting me off.

"So, we're not even going to talk about this?"

"I already told you, there's nothing left to talk about. What's done is done, Percy."

"What are you saying?"

Conversation between us had never felt more strained. Annabeth took a sharp breath, staring anywhere but at me. "I'm saying…" Annabeth paused, looking as if she was preparing herself to face her own actions. "I'm saying that I can't go on with this anymore."

It didn't click. I felt like my mind yearned to make every last effort to understand her. "Go on with what, Annabeth?"

She shook her head slowly like she didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't until a new mass of people was entering the area, when the security guards called for any last passengers from the flight to San Fransico, that Annabeth glanced at me. "I know things got bad," she said. "I know I wasn't acting fair these past couple of weeks."

"It doesn't matter to me," I tried to tell her. "I want us to work through this. We can fix things-"

"But, you kissed her, Percy."

Annabeth's words faded in a whisper, leaving nothing but the look in her eyes piercing straight through me. I wanted to speak; I wanted to tell her my real intentions, but it was as if every inch of my body was suddenly paralyzed by her words.

"We had a chance," Annabeth continued. "I know things could have gotten better because we both wanted it. But… it's different now. I can't keep giving everything I have for _us_ when you clearly don't know how you feel."

Even as Annabeth spoke, I could tell there was more to it. There might have been an ocean of secrets and thoughts behind stormy eyes that Annabeth wasn't revealing. However, all that mattered right then was what she was saying – _I had crossed the line._

I could have stood there forever, feeling the worst type of regret jabbing at me as I accepted what had been done. My tongue betrayed me. There was something surfacing through my veins that I hadn't dared to acknowledge before. _Guilt_.

We didn't have forever. Before I could react, Annabeth shifted on her feet.

She took a shaky breath. "It's over."

I watched Annabeth grasp her carry-on, tossing it on the belt before walking through the metal detectors. As she disappeared out of view, mixing with the rest of the passengers and making her way down a separate walkway, she didn't look back once.

There was a harsh blow; a single wave carrying a sharp tinge of pain, agony, and despair that washed over me. Then, there was nothing. I wasn't aware of my hands or feet anymore. Every thought in my brain seemed to slow down and stop, except for one. There was one single word echoing through my head even as I felt nothing else.

_Mistake_.

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**It took a lot out of me to write this chapter for a lot of different reasons. There is still a story to be told. Leave a review?**


	16. Sad Endings and Unexpected Greetings

**So…I'm back? No amount can express my apologies for this long absence, but here's a try – I'm incredibly sorry! My explanation in a single word: school. **

**Here's a quick recap for everyone tuning in after such a long time: Percy and Annabeth were spending their winter breaks together in Manhattan, however Annabeth is having strange dreams and becoming quickly distant from Percy. Nico, who is facing dark struggles of his own, reported chaos and trouble in the Underworld, which is affecting Rachel. Percy goes to make sure Rachel is protected at her school, where they share a kiss. It's too late for Percy to make up for his mistake, which Annabeth witnessed as she breaks up with him at the airport before leaving for her flight to California to spend the remaining vacation with her family. **

**To continue where I left off – there is a story to be told. Enjoy!**

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Every passing minute felt like a stab, stretching the wound wider.

It was stupid because I wasn't dying. There was nothing physically wrong with me. Annabeth had just left me because of a mistake I took full responsibility for, yet here I was wishing it had gone down differently.

The same frustration that had been swirling inside me for the past few weeks seemed to explode in a fierce burst now as I sat there motionlessly; I wasn't in control. I hadn't been in control from the second Annabeth had begun slipping, and now she was gone.

It was like these past weeks, a single thread had been keeping us tied. I had done everything I could to make the thread stronger, to make it into something _unbreakable_. But Annabeth had loosened her grip too quickly. She had pushed me so far that I stumbled, letting go of my own grip for a second before it was all torn. As I sat on the couch of my apartment, staring at the same spot on the wall for the past hour now, I felt like there was nothing to hold onto anymore. A vacant feeling consumed every inch of my body as I let the thoughts take over.

I remembered Annabeth laying on my bed just weeks ago. Her body curling helplessly as she was stuck in her nightmare. I remembered the sound of her voice when she spoke in her sleep. "_Luke_."

I remembered the feeling of quick kisses, bringing feeling to our numbed lips in the cold as we sat in the front seat of Paul's Prius. The blow of freezing air as Annabeth pulled away suddenly felt all too recent.

I could picture Annabeth's face inches away from mine before she had swung the door to my bedroom shut. I remembered the distance in her eyes when she would talk about home.

Then, suddenly, it was like I couldn't remember the feeling of Annabeth's presence anymore. I could imagine being in New Hampshire again as Rachel's tears slipped in the dim lit room. I remembered what it felt like to hold her, every remnant of our unfinished desires burning in flames when I saw Annabeth's face.

I could only remember Annabeth's voice now. A blur of contained and masked emotions came out in perfect sentences as she spoke. _It's over._

I blinked.

For the first time, after hours, I felt a tinge of feeling fighting through the numbness that had come over me.

Guilt all over again. Regret for pushing her all the way over the edge when she was already slipping. The feeling of loss so sharp, it physically stung all over.

Control had completely slipped away.

From behind walls, in the corridor, voices intruded my brain slowly. My parents conversed in pure worry. "I'm sure the flight is delayed," Paul inferred. "At the rate the snow is coming in again, they'll have to wait it out for another hour at least."

"Should we tell Percy?"

"Leave him."

The next sense that returned to me was sight. My eyes focused, processing what I had been staring at the whole time. Through the balcony's glass doors, the night sky contrasted against the tornado off heavy flurries that had suddenly flown in. An unexpected blizzard was hitting New York.

Touch returned next as I felt the cold air that filled the house. I tried to think of how cold it must have been outside, without the protection of insulated walls.

_Ding_.

The feelings of extreme hopelessness and dread seemed to weigh down my whole body when I tried to move. Pins and needles tortured the tips of my toes and fingers, and numbed nerves flawed my muscles. My breath felt caged in my ribcage when I focused, making my entire body ache.

_Ding_.

My body was behaving as if I had just fallen straight from Olympus and crashed three feet deep into the earth.

_Ding_.

As I slowly gained feeling and remembered where I was, the reminder of what had just happened almost slammed me back again. Annabeth had left. She was going. It was over.

_Ding_.

"Percy?" My mom came into view from the other room. "Honey, there's someone at the door," she said. The _ding_ sounds suddenly processed as I realized someone had been pounding the doorbell the entire time. My mom unchained the door, swinging it open. Her eyes widened slowly.

"Where's Percy?" I heard, before someone walked straight into the house. It was Nico. He exhaled as soon as he saw me, quickly walking forward to stand in front of me. "There's a problem," he said, sounding short of breathe.

My head pounded as I struggled to make sense of what was happening.

"Nico," my mom said, surprised. "I didn't know you were in Manhattan. Listen, have a seat,"

Nico looked panicked. "This can't wait."

"This isn't a great time," my mom tried to explain. "Percy's not feeling well-"

The son of Hades suddenly knelt down, his hand reaching forward to grab my shoulder. As his fingers sunk into my bones, I blinked. "It's happening!" Nico exclaimed desperately.

My thoughts processed slowly. With a hammering head, I found my voice. "What are you doing here?"

Nico shook me. "_Percy_," his voice was like an iron rod nudging me.

I shook my head in attempt to clear the hammering pain. "What? What's happening?"

"The empire state building," Nico said in a quick breathe. "It's under attack."

I heard my mother's footsteps behind me. "What? What's going on?" she asked, a thousand worries filling her voice.

Nico kept his eyes on me. "Hades monsters," he explained in a rush. "_This_ is what they were waiting for – to gather here, at the heart of Olympus. If we don't make it in time, Hades will consume everything."

I stood up, ignoring the strong blow of nausea that hit me as I struggled to feel my legs. I could feel Riptide pressing against my jeans. "How many monsters?"

"An army's worth," Nico said. "I've already gotten backup. The camp sent as many as they could. It's a battle ground out there. We need to go. _Now_."

I turned to my mom, meeting her eyes. "Trust me," I said in a rush. "I don't need you worrying. I'll be back." Before my mom could speak, I added, "If you hear anything from Annabeth or her dad, contact me immediately."

Nico glanced at me. "Annabeth? Chiron called for her. We could use her," Nico mumbled, "if she comes."

Like a surge of determination, I suddenly felt a spark of something I couldn't explain until later. It was a tinge of hope for one last attempt at control. I took out Riptide in its pen form. "Hurry up," I told Nico. "Get us there."

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**Thanks for reading. To everyone still following this story and looking for a continuation, let me know you're alive! Review. ^_^ I promise my best effort to update as quickly as possible while summer lasts.**


	17. Controlling Blizzards and Familiar Eyes

**Thanks for letting me know you guys are out there, alive and reading! :D**

**Well, it's safe to say let the action begin. I'm not one to write a bunch of hardcore action, so I got the help of my amazing friend _Miz636_ with this chapter. Thanks to her, this chapter is what it is.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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It felt a bit surreal to me as I looked around the streets of Manhattan from atop Mrs. O'Leary's back – déjà vu. Campers in orange Camp Half-Blood shirts fought, surrounded by monsters, bronze weapons flashing in the sun as they turned monsters to dust. The dusts almost seemed to sit in the air, unable to dissipate due to the large quantities of it, mixing with the white of the lightly falling snow.

Monster growls and cries rang throughout the area, echoing off the buildings. In the snow coating the ground, the red that marked blood was so much more obvious when compared to the last time this occurred just months ago as Kronos led an army here.

From in the tall buildings throughout the area surrounding the Empire State Building, archers – most likely children Apollo and Athena – were moving from window to window, going from one side of a building to another to launch arrows into large groups of monsters, adding to the dust I breathed in as I took in the sights before me. The smoke that could only mean Greek Fire coming from the street over, disappearing into the air as it thinned out.

Explosions went off in areas I couldn't even see through the hellhounds and skeletons and monsters I had never even seen before that all gave off the feel of death. These monsters all shared one thing- a home in the Underworld. This was Hades army.

It was chaos.

The screams of fear bursting from the throats of mortals could be heard as they looked out of their windows, home due to the blizzard. I couldn't even begin to guess what the Mist made them see, since I figured so many monsters in one area meant they knew _something_ dangerous was going on, even if whatever they saw was probably nowhere near what was actually going on.

Many had pulled on coats and boots over their clothes to run from their apartments, attempting to escape the carnage. Campers were easily seen attempting to protect those mortals from the monsters while also yelling at them to just get inside and stay there so that they would be safe. Some listened, but so many were afraid of whatever they were seeing that they continued to run, up to the point where a handful of them were left on the ground, terribly injured, without anyone able to help them. I could only hope the snow would be of some use to the injuries until help came for them.

Finally, I turned my head to look at Nico, whose pale face was almost the same color as the snow as he took in the carnage just as I had been. His black sword was held tightly in his grasp, like Riptide was clenched in my own. Nico turned to meet my eyes, and we came to a silent understanding.

I sat atop my hellhound as Nico closed his eyes and lifted his hands, one holding his sword and the other with its palm facing the fighting, his face clenched in concentration. Then, he grasped his sword with both hands and fell to his knees, slamming the blade into the ground. A huge chasm began to form, beginning where his sword sat in the ground and making its way down the street.

Skeletons fell into the immense gap of darkness cut into the earth, even those far away, almost as if they were drawn to its depths. Campers heard the sound and got out of its way, but most of the monsters that had been standing right atop where the ground was splitting apart seemed to be frozen in place until they followed the skeletons down into the ground and back to the Underworld. Nico had used his powers to force as many as the monsters back to where they belonged as he could, but the rest would be up to fighting.

Fighting began again as monsters from other streets flowed into this one to find out where the new power that was obviously drifting off from a son of Hades had come from, only to freeze as they saw the new addition to the street. This left them as easy pickings for the archers until they unfroze and began attacking again.

Beside me, Nico remained on the ground, panting hard. One hand fell from his sword to find a piece of ambrosia, which he ate before pulling his sword from the ground and standing again, stretching a little and shaking his head.

"Whoa," he muttered, just barely audible to me over the sounds of battle. "I can't do that again for a while."

"Do you have enough strength to fight?" I asked, and he glanced my way before nodding, looking tired but determined to continue the fight. The last thing I wanted was for Nico to exhaust himself considering his health these past few weeks, but here on the battleground- I was desperate for any help I could get.

Nothing more was said as I ordered Mrs. O'Leary to battle, her claws and teeth the last sight many monsters saw. Leaning down a little, I used Riptide to turn the monsters that escaped her wrath into dust. Eventually, though, I had Mrs. O'Leary pause so I could slide down her side to the ground before sending her off to fight the monsters. I could have sworn I saw her tear into a skeleton and happily lick a bone from it before another hellhound blocked my view of her.

With that, I began attacking and fighting just as I had during Kronos' invasion in August. Instinct led me to slice through a monster, duck an attack, roll only to jump up while slashing, and parry using my sword. Flashes of orange told me the other campers were still fighting. At one point I saw Nico riding Mrs. O'Leary to run from one fight to another where he was most needed.

Sometimes monsters turned to dust with no visible source, and I knew Annabeth was somewhere around here, fighting invisible. For now, I pushed our problems from my mind as I fought. My memories of what had happened between us were like bitter-sharp icicles pushed back with all the concentration I had to focus on the battleground. Hades had to be stopped.

On a street three over from where the chasm was, Hephaestus cabin had set up traps throughout it before moving onto another street, leaving the place in total destruction as monsters set off the traps left and right. Some of the children of Athena had begun working with the Hermes cabin to use things the Hermes children had "acquired" to fight the monsters. I did notice some of the younger children of Hermes being used as messengers with their speed, light armor and a shield on each arm to protect each one from monsters. Seeing the children of Aphrodite using the idea Silena had come up with during the last battle at Manhattan was saddening, but it was good to see they had remembered their sister's idea of using beauty products to throw off the hellhounds' sense of smell.

Through it all, I was a storm, tearing through monsters and taking out huge groups of them so that my fellow campers only had to fight the smaller numbers. My personal hurricane had begun to spin around me at some point, the snow just adding to it as I tore through the ranks. I could feel all of my surroundings tugging at me from every direction as I focused all my energy to the core of my body. A blizzard swirled around me with a killer force.

I wouldn't let these monsters win if I could do something about it. Mortals were still screaming, just barely audible and on the edges of my mind as I fought, though quick glimpses relieved me that they were staying in the buildings for the most part now, yelling through windows rather than on the battle ground itself.

Then just for a second, I saw something that tore at all my concentration. Just for that split second, the wind around me halted and the hail and snow crashed to the floor. To my right, I saw Annabeth knife one of the monsters I didn't recognize, turning it to dust. It was the last in a large group of monsters she had been surrounded by, knocking off her Yankees cap. For a moment she lay there, thrown back with her blonde curls scattered by her face. Now she slid it on again, her gray eyes locked onto mine just before she disappeared, leaving the white snow littered with bronze dust in their place.

I could have stayed there staring at that spot for the rest of the battle if the growl of a hellhound hadn't pulled me back to my senses so I could dodge a paw with claws out just to duck under the hellhound and slash into its underside, turning it to dust that was dissipated by my personal storm that had stirred up again in its full fury. It reminded me of what was going on around me and sent me back into battle, claws and teeth and even the occasional weapon the unknown monsters sometimes held bouncing off my body, Achilles' curse still working perfectly.

Below my feet, I felt the ground rumble again, and I closed my eyes to follow them with my senses. Thanks to Poseidon being the Earthshaker, I found I could follow things like that, especially earthquakes, to figure out where they originated from. In this case, it was a sword in the ground, opening another chasm on an especially monster-filled street two streets over from me. Obviously Nico felt he had the power to do that again and continue fighting, because the shaking stopped within a minute, leaving scared monsters that were easy pickings for the campers.

Suddenly, I found myself in an area where there were no campers, just a large group of monsters. It was almost as if they had been waiting for me. My hurricane spun around me as I took in the sight of dozens of monsters surrounding me, all prepared to pounce.

Before I knew it, the ones closest to me all charged, hellhounds flying from above with claws and teeth poised to hit me. Raised swords preceded monsters I couldn't name while skeletons with guns and swords moved forward like squads in the army. Above me flew the three Furies, Mrs. Dodds laughing.

Everything was just inches from hitting me, including one sword I could just sense aimed right at the small of my back.

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**The next update could be coming very soon! So stay tuned and leave a review. ^_^**


	18. Massive Waves and Déjà vu

**Thanks for waiting for this chapter! Once again, for this chapter, shout out to _Miz636_ for the help!**

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_Everything was just inches from hitting me, including one sword I could just sense aimed right at the small of my back. _

Frightened out of my mind at the thought of my Achilles' heel being stabbed, I spun in a circle. My fear heightened my powers, turning the personal storm around me from what was just barely a category one, if that, into at least a category three or four hurricane. Monsters soared through the air, hitting buildings and each other, leaving me in an empty area as my spin stopped and the hurricane died down to a tropical storm.

I was left to breathe in the dust of fallen monsters before it either sunk down to mix in with the snow or dissipated in the sky above. Before I could recover from the close call, the sounds of hungry creatures gathering once again surrounded me.

This time, though, it was different. A strange surge of energy flowed through me as I evaluated all the chaos and destruction. This time, as the monsters pounced, I was ready for them.

I ducked under claws and swords, pushing and pulling monsters with my left hand to make them destroy one another even as I swung Riptide with my right. From there I weaved in and out of the monsters, sword flashing as I turned the monsters to dust. Even without looking, I had a feeling my clothes were being destroyed. I silently wished for my armor, constantly fearing something was aimed at my Achilles' heel. I could tell monsters were attacking even though I couldn't feel the hits on my skin. Their howls of pain from biting or clawing at something as solid as my body were sharp, Riptide easily taking them out of their misery with just one swing.

I didn't have a chance to pause and evaluate the battleground until the monsters were finally dying out. All of the campers' efforts together along with my broad hurricane had quickly overpowered the creatures. The remaining few monsters yielded in an attempt to escape, and I focused on the snow they were running on to transform it to slush like spring would do in the future. The monsters slipped in the ice until they were taken care of so they were dust.

Above me the Furies flew, no longer laughing as they appeared anxious. Hades' wrath was slowly dying.

With two fingers in my mouth, I let out a cabbie whistle that could be heard by everyone fighting, smiling slightly as Mrs. O'Leary came charging toward me, taking out monsters on the way. Once she was there, I basically threw myself up onto her and directed her after the Furies, who flew away as fast as they could in the snow storm that had been growing slowly stronger as the battle continued on, attempting to escape us.

However, they didn't expect me to get Mrs. O'Leary as close as I could before standing on her back and kicking off from her, landing on the Fury closest to the friendly hellhound. The Fury bucked, attempting to throw me off even as she fell closer to the ground with the unexpected extra weight. It only took a few moments for her to fly higher again, unknowingly doing exactly what I wanted.

The moment she was in range of the other two Furies, I stabbed her in the back and jumped off of her, landing on the next Fury, easily slicing her head off before jumping onto Mrs. Dodds, who screeched as she realized what I had done.

"You're in trouble now, honey," she screeched right in my ear, but I just pushed aside the ringing to lean a bit closer.

"Check again," I told her before stabbing her in the back as well, jumping from her back and whistling again.

Mrs. O'Leary got the message and was right in place for me to grab onto her back, sliding down her side to slow my fall. Once I was safely back on the ground, I patted her side and thanked her before sending her back to fight and help the other campers. I could see a handful of campers, many familiar faces, injured on the ground, trying to heal themselves. In the midst of the chaos, I could even make out a few campers who were dead, slowly being covered by snow, which made a pang of loss flash through me before I pushed it aside. As much as my body wanted to shut down at that moment from the physical and mental trauma, I knew I had to keep going to protect those that were still alive.

Calling my hurricane back up at tropical storm level, I charged back into battle. Whirling wind, rain, and snow rushed around me in circles. Moving through the streets and taking out monsters as I went, I felt myself growing weaker to the point where my hurricane unexpectedly died down, even though I didn't slow its movements. Moments later, I was grateful that the hurricane had left when a monster flew just in front of me because the hurricane would have messed up the spell that a daughter of Hecate was using to send it into the first chasm Nico had opened.

Of course, this meant I needed to think of something fast before I completely ran out of energy and couldn't fight any longer. We needed a way to end this quickly, before we had any more casualties. But what could I do to end this?

Then I remembered something that had been vital during Kronos' invasion: the rivers.

Again letting out a cabbie whistle, I was surprised to find Mrs. O'Leary had Nico on her back this time, barely hanging on as she charged toward me obediently. I realized he had exhausted himself to the point where he was just barely hanging on to consciousness. Worried, I rushed over to him and pulled him from the hellhound's back and dragged him to the entrance of the nearest building. Finding a sheltered area that would protect him from the monsters at least momentarily, I settled him down.

"Percy," he muttered, but I shook my head quickly.

"I've got an idea, Nico," I told him. "Just hang tight and rest, okay?"

He didn't have the energy to argue, nodding slightly as I stood and rushed over to Mrs. O'Leary, who had found another skeleton to snack on. I climbed up onto her back and told her to take me to the nearest river, hanging on tightly with my left hand while swinging with Riptide whenever we passed a monster I could reach.

From my view point, I could tell we had taken out a large portion of the monster army, but too many campers were injured. We were too tired to hang on much longer against an army this size. I had to hope my plan would work so that I could end this in the next few minutes before the monsters overpowered us.

Finally, after what seemed like so much longer, Mrs. O'Leary reached the river, and I jumped from her back onto the ice, concentrating to turn it into water, sinking down to my knees in it before I used my powers to keep myself aloft at that level. Power surged through me even more than the snow had been able to provide. I hadn't even noticed the boost the snow had offered me until now, when I finally received an even larger one.

Calling on the water around me, I began to build it up, reminding myself of that fight against Ares all those years ago. With a new inspiration thanks to the boost of energy the flowing water was giving me, I called the snow from the banks of the river and coated the wave I was creating with it, even drawing some ice from further down the river. The wave grew to be so large that I was suddenly as tall as many of the buildings in Manhattan, standing atop my wave and feeling the power of Poseidon rushing through me.

Looking into the streets of Manhattan, I could see the fighting going on, though most had stopped at the sight of my wave. From here, the orange clothes of the campers made them easy to tell apart from the monsters, and even then, I could tell which was which. It was almost as if my connection to the snow, a type of solid-liquid water, gave me another sense.

Feeling the waters current flowing through my own veins, I willed the wave forward. Even as it roared towards the city, I forced the water to miss anything that wasn't a monster. Cars, trees, buildings, and more – all were completely dry once the wave had passed. Campers were moved by the wave to safer places as I passed them. Monsters, on the other hand, drowned in the wave, the dust collecting in it as I moved the wave from street to street, leaving almost no monsters in my wake. Only those that had hidden and were out of the wave's reach escaped the carnage, and all of them made their ways to one of the two chasms Nico had created to escape back to the Underworld rather than chance facing the wave a second time.

Soon, even with all the water, my energy was wavering, and I made my way back to the river. Snow returned to the banks, and the river froze with me standing atop it. However, I couldn't keep my feet after such a huge use of my powers, and I fell to my knees, Riptide falling from my numb fingers to clang against the ice next to me. For the first time, pain struck at the core of my body from exhaustion. I had been drained.

Mrs. O'Leary tore towards me, licking me until I recovered slightly and pushed her away so I could pick up Riptide and stand. From there, I slowly forced myself onto her back and asked her to take me to the Empire State Building, where I had caught a glimpse of a group of campers while on my wave. It was where I had pushed all the campers to save them from drowning in my own flood.

Campers helped me down from Mrs. O'Leary, thanking me for the wave that had successfully cleared most of the battleground. I hadn't been the only one to realize we were nearing the point where the monsters were going to begin winning if we hadn't had done something big. In my weak state, I was just glad it had been done.

Just as my mind was beginning to fuzz, I heard a sound so loud; it seemed to silence every street of New York. Just inches away from me, I could tell a gun had gone off followed almost instantly by a dangerously familiar scream. Almost numb with a fear I didn't have time to process, I spun to see another camper cut the skeleton with the gun in half with his sword.

But I only had eyes for the girl who had been standing behind me, probably having just snuck up on me. She was on the ground, hand clasping her opposite shoulder, which was bleeding terribly. _It was the same shoulder as last time_.

Blond hair hung around her face as gray eyes met mine, filled with pain that just made the déjà vu feeling I had been dealing with this entire battle even more intense. Her Yankees cap was on the ground beside her, obviously having fallen off when she collapsed. Just like last time, Annabeth had taken an attack meant for me that would have hit me in my one mortal spot, my Achilles' heel: the small of my back.

Except this time, the wound was even worse than last time. The blood was pouring from her too fast even as I fell to my knees before her, pulling her toward me. Just before she fell unconscious from the pain and blood loss as I tried desperately to collect her in my arms, she whispered a single word.

"Percy."

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**As always, thanks for reading! Hope you leave a review.**


	19. Shallow Breaths and Heartfelt Promises

**So…I'm not dead. Surprise? **

**All I can say is I'm sorry for the disappearance. It's nearly been a year. I just want to thank everyone who kept asking me for an update up till now. I'm finally updating because of you. **

**For those of you who won't go back and refresh yourself with the story, I tried to recap for you as best as possible. **

Summary:Annabeth was over at Percy's house when a blizzard struck, forcing Annabeth to spend winter vacation with Percy and his family. Things go south when Percy learns Annabeth is having nightmares involving Luke and mysterious phone calls with her father. Nico drops in to inform them that Hades' is sending monsters up out of the Underworld which are attacking Rachel, the oracle. Percy drives to New Hampshire when Rachel can't handle the monsters anymore, and they share a kiss. Annabeth witnesses it, resulting in her breaking up with Percy at the airport before her flight to San Fransico departs. That evening, the blizzard hits harder, delaying Annabeth's flight. Nico suddenly appears, informing Percy that the monsters have gathered in New York under the Empire State Building. Percy along with loads of campers, including Annabeth, go to fight. Percy is able to wipe out all the monsters with the help of the snow, creating a huge wave across the city. Before victory can be celebrated, a skeleton directs one last bullet towards Percy which would have killed him if it weren't for Annabeth jumping in.

**Now, no more waiting. Please enjoy the chapter! ^_^**

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All I could do was watch her gasp for air before her eyes shut. The rest of the world froze around me. For a second, every snowflake falling from the sky seemed to stop midair.

Every droplet of water - melted or frozen - seemed to just stand and pray.

I could no longer hear the last dying roars of monsters disintegrating inches away from me. I was unaware of the chatter of campers all around me.

Annabeth's blood drenched through my clothes as I held her seemingly lifeless body. I prayed. I prayed to every god I could think of as I desperately tried to gather Annabeth's head in my lap. _Please_, I begged, feeling the tug of water all around, _please let her be okay. _

"Percy!"

That's when I snapped out of it.

I realized the massive group of campers surrounding me as they watched Annabeth lay injured in my arms. From the distance, Nico ran to me as he sheathed his sword. I began to regain my senses, paying attention to the fact that Annabeth's chest was still moving as she breathed irregularly.

"Nectar! Ambrosia!" I barked, "Does anyone have bandages?"

I did my best to wrap my hand around Annabeth's shoulder to stop the bleeding, but the wound was too big. Blood kept seeping out regardless of how much force I applied. A young girl came forward, pushing through the crowd, a child of Apollo. She pulled out a small canteen, which she immediately opened and guided into Annabeth's mouth. The strong smell of grape immediately made me thank the gods for Nectar.

"Chiron's sending more healers," she told me. "The snow and chaos from the mist is creating major detours in Manhattan."

I lifted Annabeth's head as best as I could, hoping she would swallow the Nectar. It was no use.

Next to me, Nico used a ripped cloth - clearly courtesy of someone's shirt - in attempt to bandage Annabeth's arm.

"She's losing too much blood," the child of Apollo told me anxiously, "we need to get her real bandages and awake enough to eat the ambrosia."

As I watched Annabeth, blood staining her golden hair, I couldn't help but grit my teeth. For the first time, I took a good look at everything around me. So many campers sat injured, a few unconscious. Water from my massive wave soaked every little thing around us.

"Go help the others," I told the girl. "Save enough Nectar for everyone until we get more. _Hurry_."

She nodded quickly, dashing off to another camper who lay injured with a claw marks from a hellhound across his ribcage.

As campers dispersed, running around to help each other to their feet, Nico stayed by my side. "What are you thinking?" he asked me, eyes glued to Annabeth.

"I'm thinking…" I said, surprising myself, "that we need to get Annabeth to camp, Nico. Help me."

"How? You heard that girl; there are too many blocks in the city. There's no way we can carry her."

"Well waiting for help to get here isn't any better, is it?" I spat, trying to lift Annabeth so that I was almost hugging her as her unconscious body leaned into me. "We need to get all these people to the infirmaries at camp. Bandages on the battleground aren't good enough."

I watched Nico grip the hilt of his sword tight enough to make his fingers go purple. I realized for the first time that Nico himself wasn't in the best condition. His body looked weak and frail just as it had for the past few days, but now to top it off, Nico was covered in cuts and bruises from his father's army of monsters.

My mind was brainstorming ways to contact camp when Nico stood up. "I don't think Hade's is going to like me doing this," he mumbled. "Come on."

I didn't argue. Nico helped me steady Annabeth in my grasp as I slowly stood up, carrying her as I followed Nico. I didn't know what he was thinking until I saw where he was leading us. Annabeth was merely a puddle of skin and bones covered in blood as I transported us to a nearby building. Just up against the brick structure, where the setting sun's light couldn't hit, a thick shadow had formed on the sidewalk.

With one forceful swipe, Nico dug his stygian sword into the earth. All I remembered was holding Annabeth as tightly as I could while darkness enveloped us, throwing us into a whirlpool that felt like a mix of death, nightmares, and terror.

When I opened my eyes the next time, we were at the heart of camp. "Shadow travel," I said voicing my thoughts. I nodded to Nico. "Nice landing."

Nico looked ready to fall over, but I knew he was pulling through for the sake of all the injured. We walked further into camp when we suddenly saw Chiron trotting over in centaur form.

The fact that he wasn't in his wheel chair told me just how crazy things were at camp as they tried to send more back up and healers to Manhattan.

Chiron immediately helped me steady Annabeth. She still lay unconscious, her breathing even slower than before, which nearly worried the life out of me. "Oh dear," Chiron muttered, collecting Annabeth. I helped transfer Annabeth onto his back and pulled myself up as we rode straight to an open bed in the infirmary.

Nico followed inside and we managed to move Annabeth onto the bed.

"How bad is it?" Chiron asked while quickly opening a bandage.

It took me a second to realize he was talking about the state of the battleground. "We took out all the monsters," I explained quickly. "But we need way more healers out there."

Chiron's face was grave as he bandaged Annabeth's shoulder.

"We need to send campers by air," Nico said. "Pegasi or something… there's no way we can transport people on ground."

"The pegasi are ready," Chiron remembered. "I suppose I should authorize the send off now."

"Will she be okay?" I asked abruptly, interrupting the conversation. Annabeth's face looked pain-stricken even as she lay passed out.

Chiron met my eyes. "She requires my healing," he admitted. "The wound is deeper than I would have liked it to be."

I had the feeling in my stomach of a thousand little pins pricking me. I explained how Annabeth had taken the shot for me.

"Nico come with me," Chiron instructed. "I'll send out new first aid reinforcement on the Pegasi. It'll be your job to help deliver the equipment and bring back the severely injured to camp." Although Nico himself looked like he would pass out any second, he didn't complain. Chiron wrapped another layer of bandage around Annabeth. "Hold this, child," he told me, showing me where to press down on the wound. "We'll need to stop the bleeding and stitch her before I can use my healing. I'll send someone over for that, Percy, but I need you to return to the battleground with Nico. Your help will be needed."

Although I wanted to protest - not wanting to leave Annabeth - I involuntary found myself nodding. I knew how many other campers needed help and that sitting around and staring at Annabeth's drained body wasn't helping.

I barely paid attention to Chiron and Nico hurriedly exiting behind me. As I sat there waiting for a trained camper to come stitch Annabeth, I realized I couldn't look away from her. My eyes were stuck to her face as I held onto her shoulder.

Strangely, sitting there with Annabeth while she was probably in terrible pain and completely unconscious was the closest I had felt to her in days.

Being at camp all of a sudden with Annabeth injured reminded me that our lives weren't normal like I had wanted them to be so desperately after the war. Annabeth and I weren't going to get our normal Christmas vacation together no matter how much I tried.

I thought back to the night Annabeth and I lay on my bed when she read me _The Catcher in the Rye_ for my English class. I thought back to before the blizzard had flown in over our city, before Annabeth had missed her flight to San Fransico.

I thought back to the night Annabeth and I pressed against my cold window just staring at the flurries covering Manhattan. Or the time Annabeth put on three layers of my T-shirts just so we could go and scrape the snow off of my car. I could suddenly smell the pancakes and blueberry syrup my mom had prepared for us the next day.

I though back to the last time I had really ever kissed Annabeth the night before I left for New Hampshire. Annabeth had held my face in her hands and kissed me softly, breaking apart to meet my eyes. She had brushed my hair back with one hand and whispered to me to be safe.

Then I thought about how she had slammed the door in my face the first night we argued over Rachel. I remembered the anger in Annabeth's eyes when I talked about Luke. I remembered how distant Annabeth had been every time she talked about her father.

I thought of Annabeth at the airport and the two words that painfully escaped her lips: _It's over._

I remembered everything falling apart.

Now as I sat beside her after she had taken a bullet for me, I felt my insides crumble. Even though I knew Annabeth couldn't hear me, I found myself talking. I was talking into the blank silence of the room just because I couldn't take holding it in anymore.

"I'm sorry," I choked. "I'm sorry that I ever thought it could be normal. I just wanted a _normal_ vacation with you, Annabeth. That's all."

My stomach felt like it would come out.

"I wanted us to be happy together. I wanted to wake up every day and see you smiling, not terrified from your dreams of Luke or your problems with your dad." As I spoke, I felt a hundred times lighter. "You weren't being the easiest to be with, Annabeth, you know that. I thought maybe if I got rid of some of the crazy things that happened in the past, like with Rachel, things could be more normal. I thought if I got closure with Rachel, it could give me strength to look towards a future with you."

My voice cracked. "I'm _sorry_, I swear I am. I never wanted things to get this bad. I never planned to kiss Rachel. I never planned on a second attack on Olympus. It just happened, Annabeth. I just wish, more than anything else, that you'll listen to me when you wake up. _Please_."

From outside I could hear footsteps approaching the room. "I can't lose you," I whispered in my final shaky breath before composing myself. "Be okay. Please."

An older girl entered the room, one I recognized from camp last summer. "Percy, right?" she said, obviously familiar with me. "I'm Maya. Chiron told me what to do here. You should go with Nico, they're waiting for you."

"Right," I said, standing as Maya slowly replaced my hand with hers on Annabeth's wound.

I found myself touching Annabeth's forehead and mumbling one last silent prayer before forcing myself to turn away. Before I left the room, Maya called my name. "Please make sure everyone's okay," she said. "My brother's out there. Just- just bring anyone who's injured back here, okay?"

I saw the same worry in Maya's eyes that I had had for Annabeth just minutes ago. I thought back to Hade's brutal monsters and all the injured.

"I promise," I said.

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**I would love to hear your thoughts and know if you are still reading! There definitely is a story to be told and I intend to tell it. Your support would be phenomenal! **


	20. Taste of Peace and Forced Visits

**Hello wonderful fanfictioners! Welcome to an update for The Perfect Mistake! I'd like to thank all of you for reviewing last chapter and for tuning in to read about Percy and Annabeth's fate. **

**Also, a big thank you to Miz636 for being a wonderful beta!**

**Please enjoy this chapter! **

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The next few days seemed to drag out the slowest.

Although I was constantly on my feet going back and forth between the city and Camp Half Blood to help with the destruction on the streets or with injured campers, time felt very still.

There weren't as many campers as usual this time of the year at camp, which had me spending most of my time down at the infirmary to help. No one really seemed to talk about what had just happened because they didn't know what to make of all of it. I was on the same boat.

Every time I looked at Chiron, I could read the look on his face. We were waiting for a word from the gods. We were waiting for someone to explain how Hades could have possibly gotten away with attacking Olympus. "This will most likely be the last uprising for decades," Chiron had told me in an effort to ease me. "Things will be a lot quieter from now on."

_It's over_, I thought. It was all over.

Every time I darted from room to room in the infirmary to deliver more Nectar or bandages, I always found myself avoiding Annabeth's bed. It was stupid because she was the person I cared about most, but I couldn't even look at her.

I was scared of what she would say. More importantly, I was scared of what she wouldn't say. I couldn't handle the thought of being ignored. Not being able to get through to her or get any response in return hurt the most. It made it feel too much like it was really _over_.

Nico had been staying around to help at camp too, and seeing him was the only comforting thing about camp these past few days. I knew Nico had been going through a rough time while the Underworld was leaking monsters, but now that we had stopped it, Nico looked a lot calmer.

"The Mist pretty much covered for everything on the Manhattan streets," Nico told me as we stood around at camp one evening. "The mortals just see it as a really bad blizzard that made a few cars fly around and broke some glass in the buildings."

I nodded, taking in the good news. "What about the Underworld?"

A shiver seemed to go up Nico. He shook his head. "I haven't gone down since there since the battle. But, I can feel it… it's different."

"Different?"

"Crazier than usual," Nico explained. "Monsters are still loose to terrorize the souls, but they won't be coming out here anymore."

I thought about all of our friends that had lost their lives fighting for Olympus last summer. It angered me to think that they might not have even been at peace after all they had done.

"I'm not sure what my father is thinking," Nico added sourly.

I patted him on the back. "It's not your problem," I told him. "I'm glad you're helping out here."

Nico seemed to think for a second before he looked back at me. "You know, Annabeth was awake for a couple of hours today," Nico said, catching me off guard. "You didn't see her?"

"No. No, I didn't," I said, trying not to trail off. "How is she?"

"Chiron said the wound is practically healed. She's not unconscious all the time like she used to be, so you can probably talk to her if you go at the right time."

"Right. I will," I said. "Thanks, Nico."

Before he could nod his goodbye and go off, I found myself asking him, "Are you okay?"

Nico looked surprised. "Me?"

I thought back to the past week when Nico would Shadow Travel into my room looking pale and lifeless. He had played around with the thought of suicide, and back then I didn't have a way to stop him. Nico seemed to be thinking the same things as he sighed. "I'm not entirely sure," he admitted. "I guess my condition had something to do with the Underworld, so I'm just hoping it gets better."

I realized that the Underworld was Nico's home. He had a link to it the way I did with the oceans. "It'll get better," I said, managing a smile.

Nico shot me back one of the first smiles I had seen on him in what felt like months. "Tell yourself that too," he said.

**…**

I followed Chiron, which could only mean it was time for a discussion. I thought maybe the gods had sent a message or Chiron had some new information. It surprised me when he stopped in front of the doors to the infirmary, turning around.

"I want you to see Annabeth," he said.

As I stared back at Chiron, I realized that there was no hiding anything from him. There was always a look in his eyes that told me he just knew.

"I think you two know more about this attack than the gods themselves," Chiron continued. "I'd like for the three of us to discuss it."

I couldn't argue as Chiron led me to Annabeth's bed.

When I went in, Annabeth lay on the small bed with two pillows propping her up. Her shoulder and arm were completely bandaged, and I suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of guilt that I couldn't explain.

For a second she stared back at me, and I realized it was the first time she had really seen me since the very first time she fell unconscious at the battle.

Chiron motioned me to a chair beside the bed as he turned into his wheel chair form. I unsurely sat down, not knowing exactly what this discussion would entail.

"I take it you two must have known about this long before the camp did, am I right?" Chiron began.

Annabeth readjusted herself in the bed. "Not too long," she said.

I nodded in agreement. "Nico stopped by a couple of times to tell us about the chaos in the Underworld. He said Hades was sending out monsters," I explained. "And then there was the whole thing with Rachel." I paused.

Chiron frowned. "Rachel? How is our Oracle involved?"

"The monsters went straight up to New Hampshire at first," I told him. "That's where Rachel's staying. They attacked at first, but then they just seemed to be gathering up there and waiting. And the next thing we knew, there was a huge attack at the Empire State building."

"I don't quite understand," Chiron started, stroking his beard in thought.

Annabeth finally spoke from next to me. "Maybe it was a diversion," she offered. "By attacking the Oracle and turning the attention towards her, the monsters were creating a clearing to attack Olympus."

Chiron agreed. "It's quite possible. But why wasn't anyone informed of Rachel's situation? Protecting the Oracle is very important, if they managed to take her out-"

"She's fine," I found myself interrupting. "I went to New Hampshire to take care of it. She's fine."

I was thankful that Chiron didn't press the topic.

Annabeth squirmed in her bed again, readjusting her shoulder on the pillow. "There's something else," she said.

Chiron and I watched Annabeth as she stared at the floor.

She took a small breath. "I don't think Hades is responsible for all of this."

"What?" I found myself saying. "Those were all monsters from the Underworld, who else would be responsible?"

"I'm not denying that," Annabeth stated, careful not to make eye contact with me. For a second, I was just happy she communicated with me. "There's no doubt that the Underworld was involved, but it might not have been under Hades' control."

Chiron leaned forward. "Be clear, child," he told her.

Annabeth stared at the ceiling. "I've been having dreams of Luke," she said slowly. "I always had the feeling it was happening, but I never believed it was real. Luke's spirit was attempting to reform. It caused an uproar as Kronos' stirred along with Luke."

I blinked. "You dreamt this?"

Annabeth stared at Chiron. "I just know. He was reforming. That's why the Underworld was so chaotic."

Chiron shared the same expression as me. After a long pause, he finally exhaled. "Are you sure about this?" he asked her.

For a minute, Annabeth's face looked in pain, and I couldn't tell if it was from her shoulder or if she was remembering her dreams. "I just know," Annabeth repeated, this time quieter. "But I think it's over now. I think his spirit is finally getting some peace."

"How do you know this?" Chiron pressed.

"My dreams."

I knew as well as Chiron that there would be no more pressing Annabeth. She was already troubled from everything that had happened, and discussing it was hard for all of us. I thought about how Luke had given up his life to defeat Kronos. I thought about how Annabeth had been by his side as she told him he would go to Elysium, and I remembered Luke's response. _Think … rebirth. Try for three times. _Isles of the Blest.

The memories were painful.

Chiron rolled his chair over to Annabeth, touching the bandage on her shoulder. "You've done well, child," he said to Annabeth softly. "You must believe Luke is at peace."

"He died a hero," I found myself saying, surprising myself. As much as I hated the thought of Annabeth once loving him, I couldn't stand in between what she had felt for him.

Annabeth seemed to meet my eyes for the first time.

When I spoke, my voice was merely a whisper. "How are you?"

Annabeth shut her eyes slowly.

"She's better," Chiron said, answering for her. He patted Annabeth's arm, "You're ready to be on your feet, but you need lots of rest."

"I have to go back to my boarding school," Annabeth said weakly. "School will reopen in a couple of days, and I need to be there."

"Annabeth," I found myself saying, "come back to my place."

The next time Annabeth looked at me, I was sure she couldn't believe I had the nerve to even be in the same room as her.

"Please," I said, knowing I was testing my luck. "Forget about everything, at least until you're better. Let us take care of you."

Chiron tightened Annabeth's bandages. "That is a wise choice, child," Chiron told her. "I wouldn't want you on your own at your school. If you won't be staying with Percy, I think you should stay here-"

"No," Annabeth said, cutting him off. "I need to be back. I'll go."

"You'll go?" I asked her, studying her.

Annabeth looked like she had just about given up. Just for a second, she winced in pain as Chiron readjusted her shoulder. I watched as her hair fell over her face as she turned slightly, shutting her eyes. "I'll go with you."

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**There is definitely some percabeth DRAMA to come... **


	21. Purple Bruises and Glossy Eyes

**Thank you for clicking on a new chapter! Thanks to my amazing friend and beta for editing this- Miz636! Not too much to say except I hope you absolutely enjoy reading! **

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Having Annabeth back at my apartment was weird.

If I had ever hoped for Annabeth to be lying in my bedroom once again, it was definitely not under these circumstances.

My mom checked on her just about every ten minutes despite Annabeth's assertions that she was alright. Annabeth still had a tight bandage around her shoulder that needed to be changed every six hours, but that was the least of my concerns. Every time I looked at her, I couldn't help but notice the weakness on her face. She looked absolutely worn out, and it scared me more than the fact that she was still ignoring me.

I was grateful that my parents didn't ask too many questions, although the tension between us was obvious. They just wanted Annabeth up and better. I couldn't ask for more myself.

It was about three in the afternoon when I sat in the living room just staring out the glass doors of the balcony. I watched the sun peeking through gray clouds in the sky, and I could almost feel the snow melting into water outside.

The weather was drastically brighter now that all the chaos in the Underworld was subsiding, according to Nico. I thought about Winter Vacation coming to end in a few days, right after Christmas. It had been anything but the vacation I had imagined.

Instead of spending it with Annabeth and making up for all the time we couldn't see each other, we had spent it stressed out about the monsters, arguing, fighting on the streets, and then miserable at camp. Annabeth hadn't even gotten a chance to visit her family like she really wanted. Rather, she got to see a sight I didn't even want to think about through an Iris Message and then in bed with a busted shoulder.

"Percy?" Annabeth said, making me nearly jump off the couch. I looked up to see Annabeth standing in the corridor, holding her arm with one hand. "Where's your mom?" she asked me.

It took me a second to come out of my thoughts and realize Annabeth was actually talking to me directly. "She went out with Paul a couple of hours ago when you were sleeping," I told her. "She should be back soon. Do you need anything?"

"No," Annabeth said, turning slightly, which immediately told me she still despised me.

I got up off the couch, approaching her before she could return to my room. "Here let me help you," I offered, noticing her bandage unwrapping.

Annabeth shook her head. "I can do it."

"Look, I'll leave you alone after this," I said, sighing. "I just want to help you, Annabeth."

Annabeth stared at me before finally mumbling something about _last resorts_ as she gave in. I knew the last thing she wanted was to be at my place or anywhere near me, but we both knew this was the safest place for her to be.

We stood over the kitchen sink as I carefully undid her bandage. The bleeding had completely stopped thanks to Chiron's healing, but a purple bruise still stained her sink where she had taken the bullet.

I made sure I was extra gentle as I used a wet gauze to wipe the bruise, hoping it wasn't too painful for her. When I glanced at Annabeth's face, she seemed to be staring at me.

I blinked. "What?"

Annabeth looked away.

I was suddenly very aware of my fingers on her skin as I managed to wrap a new bandage around her arm. Annabeth's flesh felt like fire.

"Thanks," Annabeth said quietly, which once again caught me absolutely off guard. I was sure Annabeth hated my guts, and here she was mumbling a '_thanks'_ for helping her with an injury she wouldn't have had if it weren't for me.

As I thought about it, I said something that I realized was completely stupid right after I said it. "I'm sorry."

I was sure Annabeth would ignore me, but then she touched her new bandage. "For what?"

_For everything_, I thought in my head_. For Rachel. For the injury. For letting you believe, even for a second, that I cared about someone else over you._

Annabeth looked at me when I didn't speak.

I tried my best to come up with the right words to answer her question, but with Annabeth inches away from me after all we had been through, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. I thought about what it would be like after school started and Annabeth would go to her boarding school. I suddenly felt like I would never see her again.

My mouth felt dry as I met her gaze. "I don't want it to be over," I said, surprising myself as the words escaped me. "It can't be over, Annabeth, not that easily. I know we aren't that weak. We're _more_ than that."

I knew better than anything that I must have sounded like an idiot rushing my words, but once I had started, there was no stopping. Besides, I knew I wouldn't ever have another opportunity to talk to Annabeth when she was actually willing to listen.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me," I said. "I'm just asking you not to give up. Not this way. _Please_."

Annabeth's eyes were rimmed with red. "I'm not the one that gave up on us, Percy; that was you. The second you tested your chances with Rachel, you walked away from us."

"That's not fair," I managed, feeling helpless. "I never once, not even for a second, wanted anyone other than you."

I thought about how Annabeth had been pushing me away and how I had felt as I stood in front of Rachel. Back then, I thought I was upset over how abruptly things had ended with Rachel, but in reality, I was just terribly lost because of Annabeth's behavior.

As Annabeth stared back at me, keeping her eyes locked into mine, I couldn't help but think about all the good times we had spent together before snow had fallen. When I was with Annabeth, no one else existed. But when things started to get crazy and Annabeth was growing distant, my world had turned upside down. Now as I stood in front of her, I knew more than anything that I wasn't going to let it be over.

"I heard you," Annabeth finally said.

I searched her face for a second before frowning, truly confused. "What?"

"I heard you," she repeated. "At camp. After the bullet hit me and I couldn't see anymore. I just remember feeling my blood pouring out, and I remember what you said to me."

I thought back to the night I sat beside Annabeth right after I thought I almost lost her. I had spilt out every last honest feeling I had, not for her, but for myself. I had never expected her to hear me.

Annabeth looked away, fighting the tears in her eyes. "You said you wanted us to be happy together," Annabeth remembered. "I believe you."

She met my eyes again, her lips repeating the same three words that gave me hope. "I believe you."

As I stared at Annabeth, for the first time I realized that she didn't look so worn out and weak because of her injury, but because she was _tired_. She was tired of the all the mental trauma she had been enduring.

I thought she could have broken down right there as I watched her, but then we heard the footsteps outside the door, and I knew my parents were back.

"So what now?" I asked her. Half of me feared the answer while the other half felt hopeful.

Annabeth didn't answer me. Her eyes looked full of pain, but at the same time there was something there that told me she was holding on. I couldn't help but glance at her shoulder, remembering how she had risked herself for my life without a second thought out there on the streets, and for the first time I realized, just maybe, she hadn't given up.

As my parent's entered the apartment, Annabeth wiped a hand over her eyes, composing herself. She took a deep breath, and I had a feeling she was just as unsure as I was about what the future held for us.

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**I must say the end of this story is near. Very near. **

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	22. Warm Smiles and Happy Endings

**Hello and welcome to the very last chapter of ****_The Perfect Mistake_**. Yup, it's actually here. This story has come a long way and I can only say that I really hope you enjoy this ending as much as I did writing it. 

**Also, look out for a special announcement down at the bottom. ^_^ **

* * *

Things were definitely different.

With the weather clearing and holiday spirit in the air, Manhattan felt brighter and warmer. Not to mention, it was officially Christmas Eve as of today.

My mom had decorated the apartment with Christmas lights and colorful stockings on top of the doorway of the balcony. Paul was talking about buying a small tree for the living room, and I knew my parent's had wrapped up a few presents for the family.

These past few days I couldn't quite tell where Annabeth and I stood, but she was recovering significantly, and it was more than I could have asked for. Her bandage was almost completely off, and she didn't look as weak as she did a day before.

Although Annabeth and I skirted around each other in my small apartment, the tension between us seemed to disappear considerably, and I knew my parent's could tell too as our home felt happier.

"What about this one?" I asked Annabeth, holding up a silver starfish.

We were going through a box of Christmas ornaments for the tree, trying to choose our top ten. It was the first time Annabeth and I had really sat down together, and it wasn't a bad feeling.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I know you're the son of the sea god, but not every ornament you choose has to be a fish."

"A starfish isn't exactly a fish," I said, defensively.

Annabeth laughed. "Why does your mom have so many odd ornaments, anyway? I didn't know they even made ornaments shaped like flounders."

I tried to continue defending my starfish, but I eventually found myself laughing right along with her. "I have no idea."

For a second, Annabeth got quiet, and I suddenly realized we hadn't laughed together for what felt like months.

"I like this one," Annabeth said, pulling out a spherical glass ball with a small snowman inside.

"Agreed."

**…**

I was sure my mom had completely gone insane with the Christmas decorations when I finally escaped the flashing lights and slipped into my room.

I didn't know what made me turn on my computer as I lazily sat at my desk, but I knew I wasn't expecting to see the pop up message showing me I had a new email from Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

Rachel and I rarely ever emailed, and given the circumstances of our last meeting, I wasn't sure what to expect as I double clicked on the message.

It took me a few seconds to fight my dyslexia and make out the sentences in front of me.

_Dear Percy, _

_Things are going really well here at Claron's. No more monsters. No more weird stuff. _

_I heard about the battle from camp. _

_Don't worry about me. Everything is absolutely ok. PLEASE tell me everything is fine for you. Email back, okay? _

_-Rachel _

I clicked out of the email window, closing it. As I thought about it, I had to admit I felt a lot better knowing things were back to normal for Rachel. Not only that, but I felt like I was talking to the same Rachel I had known as my best friend before I ever went down to New Hampshire. As much as I wanted to take back what had happened earlier, a part of me knew it had been out of good intentions.

I found myself thinking that just maybe Chiron had been right. Maybe this storm and uprising was the last we'd get for decades. Things would be a lot quieter from now on. Things would finally be _normal_.

**…**

That evening, Paul, Annabeth, and I hung up the Christmas ornaments we had selected onto the tree. The tree was small but full, completing the living room as the perfect center piece decoration for the apartment. It was the first year my mom and I had gotten a tree. Not to mention this was our first Christmas with both Paul and Annabeth.

Annabeth was smiling again, and that's what really made our home feel like a family.

I watched as Annabeth stood on her tiptoes to put a golden star on the very tip of the tree. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't stop thinking of how crazy things were. I had always imagined spending Christmas with Annabeth, but not this way. Annabeth and I weren't ever _together_ anymore, and I couldn't shake that thought.

When I zoned back in to my surroundings, Paul and Annabeth were taking in the sight of our tree from a few feet away. Paul made a comment and Annabeth laughed.

There is was again. She was laughing.

**…**

My mom was busy in the kitchen all evening, preparing Christmas dinner for tomorrow.

She was wearing her apron and had her hair tied back. In one hand, she held a pen to cross off items on a lengthy list in front of her on the kitchen counter. All around her were baking bowls and pans.

For a while, I found myself just watching her in the kitchen the way I remembered doing when I was little. It had always just been us on our own; Gabe never counted.

"Need any help?" I finally asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between us as I leaned on the other side of the counter.

"Just promise you'll eat everything tomorrow evening," my mom smiled. "I'm making your favorites."

I looked at the blue food coloring on the counter, and I couldn't help but feel like a kid all over again.

My mom spoke after a while. "Paul told me about the conversation you two had."

It took me a second to realize what she meant. I thought back to the hotel in New Hampshire and memories flooded me immediately. I thought about how happy my mom was preparing dinner for our first Christmas with Paul.

"As long as you're happy," I found myself saying.

My mom stopped what she was doing to look at me. "You're okay with a sibling?"

For the very first time, the idea didn't feel completely sour in my mouth. It took me a second, but I finally nodded. "You don't need my permission, mom."

There was a look in her eyes that suddenly made all my problems disappear. It was funny, because right afterwards my mom asked me, "How are you?"

"I don't know," I told her honestly.

My mom gave me a small smile. "Well, it's Christmas, Percy. Just for tomorrow, don't think about anything other than the fact that we're together."

I realized my mom was right. That word meant much more than a relationship status. It didn't matter what was happening between Annabeth and me. I was just happy to be with her. We would be together.

**…**

It was past midnight when I stepped out onto the balcony, and I wondered how many little kids were also awake, waiting to see Santa Claus.

The night sky was foggy, which was strange because I was used to seeing the stars over skyline of New York in the far distance. The snow had almost completely melted off the streets below us, but white frost stuck to the balcony railings this time of the night.

I knew my parents would be waking up early in the morning in the spirit of Christmas, and I should have been sleeping, but for some wild reason the couch - my new bed for the past week - didn't look so inviting.

I could see my breath in front of me in a cloud of frosty air before it dispersed into the night. I tried to keep my mind clear, remembering what my mom had told me about Christmas day, but I just felt like I was lying to myself.

"Hey," a voice said.

I spun around on instinct, surprised at the sight in front of the balcony. Annabeth stood in the doorway of the balcony, wearing her pajamas and T-shirt with her hair in a loose braid over her good shoulder.

"I heard noise," Annabeth told me, crossing her arms over her chest as the chilly air greeted her. "I thought you might be awake."

"Yeah," I said, slowly overcoming my surprise. "I am."

Annabeth managed a small smile. "Can I join you?"

I didn't complain as I stepped to the side. Annabeth slid the heavy glass doors shut behind her before she joined me along the railing. She leaned over it, overlooking the city.

We just stood there in silence with the darkness and chilly air enveloping us. There was so much I wanted to say, it was like a war going on in my head. But at the same time, I felt at peace, just standing with her.

A breeze of fresh air came at us gently. Annabeth shut her eyes, gripping the cold railing as the wind flew through her hair. "I'm not forgiving you," Annabeth said, her eyes still shut.

I felt like a rock dropped in my stomach.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was looking right at me. Annabeth turned her body in my direction, keeping one hand on the railing. "But I can't lose you either," she stated. It took me a second to remember the words I had choked out at camp when I thought she was unconscious. _I can't lose you,_ I had said. _Be okay. Please._

I didn't know when my heart had begun pounding inside my chest or when Annabeth had reached forward to put her other hand on my shirt, tugging on it. She was just inches away when our eyes locked. I could see every detail on her face from every last scratch she had gotten in the battle to every last eyelash. Her eyes were hard and fierce. "Percy," she said, twisting my shirt towards herself so hard I thought it might have ripped. Even in the cold, I could feel Annabeth's breath warm against my lips. "If you ever_," _Annabeth said, emphasizing each word carefully, "and I mean_ EVER, _kiss another girl that isn't me, for as long as you live, I swear I will personally stab you in your Achilles spot repeatedly."

It wasn't exactly the sweetest thing or how I wanted to hear it, but I got her message loud and clear. As much as it scared me that Annabeth wasn't joking in the slightest, a part of me felt the happiest I had been all week.

I didn't have time to answer before Annabeth closed the gap, kissing me right there on the balcony in the icy cold weather on Christmas day.

…

My mom finished opening the last present wrapped in lavender paper.

It was a present I had forgotten all about. Paul and I had picked it out months ago and saved it for today.

She gasped softly as she revealed the picture frame made of seashells. Behind the glass, we had placed a picture of Paul, my mother, and I in front of the ocean from one of trips at Montauk beach. I hadn't thought much of it, but giving it to her now just reinforced how nice it was to be a happy family together.

My mom leaned forward, gathering both Paul and I into a hug. I could hear Annabeth laughing softly behind me as my mom let go. I gave her a look as Annabeth smirked, fixing a piece of my hair.

We opened presents and lounged around all morning. It wasn't until after breakfast that my parents disappeared into the kitchen and Annabeth and I sat by the tree. I felt a little sad that I hadn't had a chance to get Annabeth a present, but things had been so crazy these past few weeks that I couldn't be too hard on myself.

Annabeth pulled out her cell phone, opening a text message. "My dad," she mumbled, quickly typing out a reply.

"Everything alright?" I asked.

Annabeth shut her phone, putting her hand on my knee. "Everything is great."

We heard Paul and my mother laughing from the kitchen behind us as they dried the dishes together. I found myself glancing back at them, and Annabeth seemed to follow my gaze.

Paul hugged my mother from behind, whispering something in her ear which made my mom smile. Paul put his hand on my mom's stomach as she overlapped his hand with her own.

Annabeth and I immediately exchanged glances. I watched her eyes widen. "Do you think?"

I sighed, looking away. "Honestly?" I said. "I have no idea."

Annabeth studied my face. "Well what if?" she asked, nudging me.

"Then I guess," I said, pausing, "you'll have to help me if I'm ever forced to babysit because I am _not_ doing it alone."

She rolled her eyes, but I could see the smile drawing on her face. "You are such a Seaweed Brain sometimes!"

So there we were, on one of the last days of winter vacation lounging in my apartment just where we had started. The snow that once caged us had now melted, leaving behind nothing but a frosty feeling in the air. We had fought a battle with creatures straight from the depths of darkness, bringing peace through the demigod realm once again. And I had made the perfect mistake that once had me fearing I would lose the girl that now sat beside me, smiling with sparkling gray eyes.

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**The End**

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**Firstly, I would like to thank all my readers- whether you've been here from the beginning or just found this story recently. Thank you! You have been the reason for this chapter today. This started out as a co-written piece created between two brains and had lots of room for abandonment, but your reviews and support kept this story alive for me to finish telling. Thanks to everyone who is here and reading this ending! **

**While endings are sad, I'd like to take my last few words on this story to give you guys some super exciting news! My wonderful beta, Miz636 (who you've seen editing for this story) and I have been co-writing a story together for over a year, and it's finally ready! You can expect a lot of the same type of drama, romance, friendship, adventure, action and other crazy elements in it as you did with this one (except even better!). I really hope you guys continue on reading about Percy and Annabeth in an entirely new setting and situation, along with Thalia, Nico and other familiar faces! Click on my profile to find a link at the very top for the story titled _Challenging the Past for Reality_. **

**Lastly, I truly do hope you have enjoyed _The Perfect Mistake_. It has been a great pleasure to write and post! It would absolutely mean the world to me if you reviewed! **


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